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Virtual Console Duplicator Copies 60 USB Sticks At Once
Posted by Mark Wilson at 11:50 PM on April 29, 2008
For those times when 59 copies just isn't enough, make 60 USB copies at once with this Virtual Console duplicator. Featuring optional 128-bit encryption and the ability to duplicate actual files (rather than just writing a binary mirror), it takes the copier just two minutes to fill 60 1GB drives with whatever pictures of your dog/resume/butt you find necessary to distribute to the public. Intended for industrial use, the system runs US$8000. [product via SlipperyBrick]
A team at the Technical University of Munich in Germany has designed a glass chip pierced with micro-sized tubes that act the same way as spider silk glands, and can be used to replicate the initial stages of natural silk production. It's an interesting development since production of artificial spider silk has proven difficult in industrial quantities and qualities, and its tensile strength to density ratio is five times that of steel, making it potentially very useful as armour and in medical applications.
Today TomTom announces all new TomTom One and XL navigators. The software doesn't appear to be any different, but the exteriors have been streamlined even further, and the company introduced a new EasyPort mount that can stow-away in the back of the device itself, so you don't have to worry about leaving your mount in the car. TomTom also revamped the audio system, so that commands are "even more loud and clear at all times"—apparently previous versions sounded too garbled or weak, but not anymore. 
Yes. We know. After 512,436 mails to tips speculating about this since the iPhone appeared in the US, the iPhone is finally arriving to Canada: "We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the
20% smaller than the previous generation, Samsung is claiming their new CLP-315K is actually the World's smallest colour laser printer. It's got a resolution of 2,400 x 600 dpi and can spit out four letter-sized pages per minute in colour and 17 in black, and apparently it has improved photo quality output. There's also another small all-in-one edition, the CLX-3175FNK, which has a scanner built in and can scan to and print from USB memory sticks so it can operate PC-free if you need it to. There's no word on release date or price yet, sorry. [
Aimed, one guesses, at Japanese health obsessives, the Overall Health Balance Scale measures a person's health in six different ways: weight; BMI; subcutaneous fat ratio; organ fat level; muscle level; and basal metabolic rate. On top of that, it rates your health on a scale of one to five. Sounds to me like a version of amihotornot.com that you stand on. As well as checking your posture and balance, the Overall Health Balance Scale has got a screen-cum-scanner on a pull string, which semi-detaches from the unit. I think this is aimed perhaps at people so fat that the last time they saw their genitals the Berlin Wall was still standing—and sumo wrestlers. It hits the shelves in Japan on May 1, no price as yet. [
Scarlet, that doe-eyed brunette that we all "thought" was the protagonist of a new TV series is actually nothing more than the face of a viral campaign for a new line of TVs from LG. The LCD HD TVs, which range from 32 to 52 inches, have a 50,000:1 contrast ratio, super-fast response time of 4 milliseconds, HDMI 1.3, and 1080p resolution—apart from the smallest model. See what it looks like below.
The Cost Controller power strip lets you hook up eight gizmos, protects them against voltage spikes, and also shows you how much power they're drawing so you can worry about your electricity bill well ahead of time. It actually shows consumption in kilowatt hours along with the frequency and voltage characteristics of your power line, if you're into that sort of data. At least watching those usage digits mount up on its LCD display might prompt you into eco-friendly behaviour, like not leaving stuff on standby. Available now for US$99.99. [
Forget the 
Spotted at Buy.com with an MSRP of US$479. Still not sure how this thing is going to work on WiMAX when no one has WiMAX and also, not many people use these tablets. [
IFO AppleStore has info the new clothing design for Apple Retail employees, who will swap out their current job titles for slightly different ones that represent Apple's iPod and iPhone business more. The "Mac Genius" will be come just "Genius", for example, and there will be six different slogans for each guy. We know it's old hat to mock Apple users and Apple Retail for being slightly smarmy and, well, kind of douchey, but these shirt slogans after the jump kind of reinforce the reason why.
Missing from our 
It may look like a pet microwave, but the Pet Pavilion is actually a luxury pet house designed to pamper your pooch and keep it healthy. As you might suspect, this device is loaded with features that surpass the living conditions of most humans—nevermind your average pet. Features include: PC-based incubation process management, ideal temperature and humidity limits, a built-in infrared radiation and carbon heating element, an antibiotic air filter for removing dust, a carbon filter for odours and a solenoid valve for "medical treatment."
China isn't the only nation 
The 
Sometimes, you really want to be the most annoying person around. And there's no better way to do that than pumping out music from a ridiculous vest with built-in speakers. That's exactly what the Soundwalk vest is. A vest not really your style? Well, luckily for you it comes in backpack and jacket varieties as well, ensuring that you'll have a chance to blast Metal Machine Music at full volume and also have an outfit that's well coordinated. [
Woz and Kathy Griffin have been 
We've got the final spec sheet for Lenovo's 
Like most nerds, I am in full Iron Man mode as the movie release date draws closer. So, I couldn't help but get excited after hearing about a PC case mod based on Tony Stark's Mark 1 Iron Man suit. Is it the best case mod I have ever seen? No, not really. In fact, I would have expected a little more from the dude who brought us the 
Noah Shachtman over at Wired has a very interesting look at iRobot's six year battle with Robotic FX, a company started by a former employee who allegedly (and probably) stole schematics and plans in order to build a competitor. There's too much detail to work into a short summary, but Jameel Ahed, the former employee, was caught by a private investigator deleting documents and shredding CDs containing data that belonged to iRobot.
AutoObserver reports that the next generation Prius will be four inches longer, get a more powerful 1.8 liter gas engine that when combined with electrics will do a total 160 horsepower (compared with 110hp in the current 1.5 liter setup). The kicker is that it'll be more fuel efficient, too. Using Japan's metrics for fuel economy, the current setup gets 84mpg, but the next gen has been reported to run 94 miles under the same conditions. The car is set to be unveiled in 2009. [
The HTC video driver controversy might be coming to an end, as the 
If you are planning on picking up an HDTV in the near future, HD Guru's list of the 10 worst HDTV ripoffs for 2008 is required reading—pure and simple. Chances are, many consumers have already heard about the issue with 
On the surface, the 
If growing up in upstate New York has taught me anything, it's that shovelling snow really, really sucks. The I-Shovel is a new device that promises to automate this task—much like the 
Reader Patrick sent us these photos of his Psystar machine, which was