Designer Stefan Dukaczewski’s sneakers join the line of wearable Wi-Fi detectors next to the T-shirt and wristwatch, winning the title of strangest so far. Based on Nike Dunk shoes, the prototype—dubbed A Step in the Right Direction—has an 802.11 detector under the flap on the left shoe, with a discrete three-LED display system. As you tromp along the street a pressure sensor in the heel turns it on, and Wi-Fi signals detected within 150 feet light the LEDs. So you could wander around in a “warmer… colder” manner peering at your toes, until you find the best signal. We suspect this’d lead to many cricked necks, but at least you’d be able to avoid doggy-do on your mission to “borrow” someone’s Wi-Fi. [ASRD via Talk2MyShirt]
While yesterday’s radio-to-MP3 recorder reminded us of a modern Chumby, this one’s style cues are more last decade. It’s basically a digital-tuner radio, with FM, AM and short wave reception, but with a built-in, un-dockable portable MP3 player that can record to its own 256MB memory.
It seems that Apple is about to go nose-to-nose with Walmart in the playground. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the company is poised to announce a deal with a bunch of studios to sell new releases on iTunes the same day as the movies’ release on DVD.
We’ve all had that moment. you know, where you’re standing next to some guy in a urinal… You finish at the same time, and as you walk over to the sink to wash your hands, he storms straight to the door, opens it without a care in the world, and thankfully leaves your life forever. After you dry your hands you look at the door handle and it’s wet. Eeeewwwww!
How to open the door now becomes an adventure in ingenuity. Can you use paper towel or toilet paper? How about your shoe? Do you wait for somebody else to come in? Or do you just suck it up and power out through the door, hoping to find the guy who essentially pissed on the door handle so you can pat him on the back of his expensive Armani suit to get your own payback?
None of the above, if you own a “Handler” keyring. It has a fold out arm that’s (apparently) made with “microscopic nanoparticles” that kill 99 percent of germs on contact.
It’s available in a selection of colours, too, so you can be relatively trendy while displaying the first signs of OCD.
You can get yours from Rushfaster for just $14.95. And while I’m just a little bit sceptical, if it does protect you from inadvertantly eating somebody else’s bodily waste after your next trip to the bathroom, I’m all for it.
A war is brewing. The war for your television viewing habits.
It started with TiVo. Channel 7 wants to take over your lounge room with a decent PVR, full of cool functions like SeasonPass and IP Video. Then Foxtel decided to crank it up a notch with the iQ2 – adding HD to their already impressive digital box. The other day, Sony decided to join the fray by announcing the PlayTV add-on for the PS3, turning your console into a PVR.
So many warriors. Such a large battle looming. And on the side, slightly out of sight but no less a threat to the other champions, is IceTV.
Before the battle begins, they’ve launched their first wave of attacks – adding functionality to their EPG service to give and device running their software even more features. The biggest of which is IceTV Recommendations.
This fine piece of flip phone is Blackberry’s very first clamshell, codenamed Kickstart. It’s not overly attractive—it’s got a RAZR-esque silhouette. The inside is Pearly, with a trackball and SureType keyboard. Boy Genius says that the internal LCD is “decent looking,” but the shot of the external has a weird sheen over it, so it’s hard to tell there. Sort of an odd choice from RIM, I think—was there an untapped demand for a flip Blackberry? No other specs, but expect it by the end of the year. Profile shot after the jump or hit BGR for the full five. [BGR]
Last year, we had a demo of the TV godbox we reported on last summer by Building B—now Sezmi. If anything, their claims have actually gotten bolder: They’re promising the “first complete TV 2.0 solution” that rolls up traditional TV with movies, on-demand, DVR and internet video, all presented seamlessly to viewers. That’s a tall order, and moreover, an extremely complicated one.
It’s finally here. Iron Man Day. And today, five of you will be walking away with a double pass to see the new film starring Robert Downey Jr, plus an Iron Man webcam.
The rest of you – well, you miss out. But I’ll be trying to line up some even bigger and better prizes in the coming weeks that won’t involve Haikus, so the less poetic among you can stand a chance as well.
Speaking of Haikus, hit the jump to read the five winning poems. Congrats again!
You guys have apparently been listening to our warnings about not jumping into the Blu pool just yet. NPD says that even after HD DVD stopping peeing in it and lied down to die, not only have Blu-ray sales have only jumped a meager two percent (after falling 40 percent from Jan.), but they’re so bad, they won’t even release the actual numbers. NPD pegs price as one major factor, with the wait for BD-Live players as another. Course, it’s more likely the deeply feared DVD problem: For most people, it’s still good enough. [Yahoo, NYT]
As a natural progression from Google Earth and Google Sky, the Mountain View monolith now plans to create 3D maps of the Earth’s oceans and seas and make it available via Google Ocean. The software will allow users to navigate the aquatic bottom and see the topography that exists down there. Google also plans to include interactive data about various subjects such as weather patterns, coral reefs, shipwrecks, and currents. The goal for Google ocean is to use as much high resolution photography of the underwater terrain as possible, offering more than just a map. But researchers say such a process could take upwards of 100 years. And Google, if you’re going to include an easter egg similar to Google Earth’s flight sim, could we get a guided tour with a virtual Team Zissou? [CNet News]
