Forget the boringly-plastic iPod boomboxes we've shown you before: I want one of these. It's in period aviation "Spirit of St Loius" style: wooden cabinet, shiny dials and satisfyingly chunky switches, meant to look like a WWII battlefield radio. Inside there's an iPod dock, CD player and AM-FM radio that's also an alarm clock. It's powered by 8 "D" batteries, so you can haul it along to picnics in the park, and measures 48 x 22 x 20 cms. The one drawback: it's price is also satisfyingly chunky at US$586. [Product via BBGadgets]

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It's one of those things that makes sense, but we'd never tried before. One tablet-happy artist decided to plug in his Wacom tablet into his PS3. The result? It was essentially plug 'n play. While a combination of the PS3's firmware and third party game design mean that it could never be used play 90% of the PS3's library, the tablet worked quite well for cruising around the menus and even fast forwarding and rewinding through media. Plus, it looks way more sophisticated than that DualShock 3. [via PS3 Fanboy]

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Okay, okay: I know what they look like, but since the official description is "bullet-like," that's what I'm sticking with. These 7.5-inch tall, cylindrical, smooth-tipped speakers are USB bus-powered and have music-reactive color-changing LEDS in the top, making them "very nice to listen to your favourite music at night" apparently. They pump out 2 x 2W and 2 x 1W of sounds from 150Hz to 20kHz. Available now for a mere US$20. [Gadget4All via Geek Alerts]

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Today AMD officialised its Puma notebook platform—AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core mobile processors with ATI Radeon HD 3000 graphics—"for superior 3D performance and HD image quality, with industry-leading wireless for greater throughput and range." As we've noted in the past, it's a consumer-grade laptop play, and performance-wise it's aimed a bit lower than the upcoming but delayed Centrino 2 from Intel. But it's here and backed by Acer, Asus, Clevo, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, MSI, NEC and Toshiba. Odds are it will be an option on your next PC buying mission. Want to know more? Take a gander at the long-winded press release below.

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TUAW reports that they've gotten some insider information that Apple will unveil OS 10.6 (the successor to Leopard) next Monday at the WWDC keynote. So what's so special about this iteration of OS X? Before our fanboys get too excited, know that we're not supposed to expect a Leopard-like slew of features.

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Sure, ergonomic designs are sometimes more whacky rather than useful, but I reckon the Kinesis Freestyle Solo falls into the latter category. Apparently it's the first Mac keyboard that allows you to fully separate it into halves. Why'd you want to do that? To adjust the keys into a wrist-friendly, RSI-reducing position, that's why. There're two accessories— the Incline lets you adjust the angle into a tented shape, and the VIP adds in palm supports and more angular adjustments. It's also got a bunch of hotkeys, and double-wide command keys for easier typing. Available now for US$99, US$40 each for the add-ons. [Press release]

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Dilemma of the day: Blam has been asking us to keep an eye on the tone of the site recently, saying that we need to be more highbrow. However, there doesn't seem to be much happening in mundo gadgeto. Although there is this delightful gallery of booth babes at Computex. So, to keep you guys happy, and to keep Blam happy, please enjoy my Chaucer-esque homage to the ladies.

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These watches sit somewhere between the confusing displays of Tokyo Flash digital watches and the amazing mechanical-digital Meccanica DG. Inside they have two wheels that spin relative to a marker line: and that's where you peek to work out how many hours and minutes of the work day remain (that's the main reason for wearing a watch, yes?). It's all a bit 1970s tech, and rather cool. Available now for about US$70. [BBGadgets]

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A Japanese science and engineering team have created this crazy artificial houseplant with high-efficiency organic thin-film solar cells as leaves. Developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, it's got about 58 square centimetres of power-generating area, and each flexible leaf has a complex structure protected by a thin plastic layer. This makes them durable, and the team foresees uses as eco-friendly power generators embedded into buildings, clothes, leisure goods and toys. [Nikkei via Dvice]

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The guys over at RobotsRule.com have just come up with this review of WowWee's new Wrex the Dawg toy robot. And sure, it's no Aibo, or even the robot dog from yesterday, but it's got a certain something. It's remote-controllable, programmable and has a suite of 18 tricks to act out, depending on its mood. And you can leave it in Guard mode, ready to stir itself and terrify your cats with some very strange noises. Check out those worryingly hypnotic rotating, flashing eyeballs too. If this 'bot tickles your fancy, you'll have to wait, as there's no info on release date— but it'll cost about US$170.

AU: I saw Wrex with all the other Wowwee products I was covering off this week... He's awesome! Expect him by the end of the year.

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Since I don't have either a microwave or a desktop computer, I don't know why this PC-microwave hybrid with an LCD bolted to the door speaks to me, but it just does. It could possibly be something to do with the fact that I still haven't had breakfast and it's way past breakfast time here in Yurp. [Hacked Gadgets via Boing Boing Gadgets]

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We spoke about Canonical's rejigged version of Ubuntu last week, and the Netbook "Remix" as they call it, is on show at this year's Computex. Although it won't be available until later on in the year, the company is already working with OEMs to include the new software on portable devices. Full press release is below.

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Just yesterday we brought you the cheap Eee 701 touchscreen hack, and now it looks like the same guy who did that mod has been ferreting around inside an Eee 901, with some unexpected results. In fact, it looks like the 901 is even more moddable than the earlier models, with some extra functions inside the case waiting to be adapted.

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Softbank is to bring the iPhone to the Japanese market later this year. With no release date, no price, and certainly no word on whether the deal is an exclusive one, or whether Japan's other carriers can get on the act, this is going to be a short post. [Impress]

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HTC's going back to what they do best--Windows Mobile phones with slide-out QWERTY keyboards--by way of the HTC Touch Pro, also known as the HTC Raphael. It's got a very Touch-Diamond-like back, and has 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, 512MB internal storage, 288MB RAM, microSD slot, a 2.8-inch VGA screen, 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, video calling and a 1350 mAh battery that gives 8 hours of talk time.

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When I was studying at Uni, the Internet was just starting to gain traction. As a result, my favourite lectures were the ones that I didn't have to attend because all the notes and transcripts were online.

Today, students from a heap of Unis around Australia and NZ get an even sweeter gig, with lectures, guest speeches and videos from The Australian National University, Griffith University, Swinburne University, University of Melbourne, University of NSW, University of WA and Otago University all hitting iTunes U.

So now a whole new breed of students get to enjoy their university bar rather than the boredom of their lectures. Maybe I should think about getting my Masters...

[Apple]

Nvidia talks a big game about how awesome its mobile Tegra processors are, but paper muscles tear when wet. They've got some videos showing that there is at least some meat behind the pulp. Above the fold is Quake III running at 35fps with anti-aliasing turned on, while below is HD video output at 720p via HDMI out, and their 3D UI, which has a coverflow clone, and some nice 3D navigation stuff. These are undoubtedly optimised, but still some impressive voodoo.

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The ability to sync your Address Book contacts with Gmail - one of 10.5.3's most useful new features - could have used a bit more real world testing. Rather than just syncing your beautiful, groomed, deliberately added contacts like any reasonable person would expect, Address Book downloads all of your Gmail account's automatically collected addresses as well, which is to say pretty much everyone you've ever emailed, ever.

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The guys at MIT's gaming lab just unveiled AudiOdyssey, a game for the Wii that doesn't require sight to play. The game is sort of a musical composition tool, in which players create layered beats for an imaginary crowd of dancers. The game does have a minimal visual component but for the most part just relies on your ears and your beat droppin' (or for the less whimsical, Wiimote swinging) skills.

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MSI Wind Given 4.5 Out of Five By Laptop Magazine
MSI out-eee's the Eee PC... Lokks like this particular market segment is starting to heat up.

Gigantic LEGO Tomcat F-14 Ready to Take Off
I need one. Don't you? Doesn't everybody? I wish the government would mandate that everybody got one of these to decorate thei loungeroom. That's a government I would vote for.

Robot Dog from Hell Is Terminator's Best Friend, My Worst Nightmare
If there's one thing Aibo showed us, it's that robot dogs just aren't ready to be pets

Scientists Builds His Own Tiny Planet to Create a Magnetic Field
First people building a lego fighter jet, now a planet? What am I doing with my life?

Canned Bacon Guarantees Full Heart Failure in 24 Hours
I think eating cyanide would be better for you.

The Flip Mino, a pint-sized but more powerful companion to the so-easy-your-grandma-will-be-a- YouTube-star Ultra, is now official. We already saw the US$180 mini-cam in a fuzzy picture, but now we know that although it carries 2GB of on-board flash for 60 minutes of VGA-quality recording like the Ultra, it's 40% smaller—a scant 10 x 5 x 1.5cm. The Mino distances itself further by adding a Li-ion battery and a flat back-panel with touch-sensitive buttons (rather than the Ultra's AAs and push buttons). Check back shortly for a full hands-on; meanwhile, there's a spec-laden fact sheet after the jump.

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Cannondale bikes hired a design firm to render up some possible future features on their rides, one of which is a very interesting one called MetroPolite that has an iPod connector. An iPod seems like the last thing you want to be shoving into your ears when you're riding in a Metro area, seeing as bikes lose to cars when the latter accidentally hit the former, but the connector isn't just for that.

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If you are old enough to remember, NeXTCubes were high-end workstation computers built in the late 80's and early 90's that featured a die-cast magnesium case. Magnesium was an attractive metal because it was strong and light--but as any high school chemistry student with a penchant for pyromania can tell you, magnesium burns with a brilliant white light. Naturally, this lead some to wonder what would happen if you set one ablaze.

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Tired of being bold and exciting, Radiohead is capping its return to the status quo by finally making the move to iTunes. Everything is available as iTunes Plus, and you can buy tracks a la carte (a first). Was anyone still really waiting for this? [iTunes via TUAW]

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XP Vehicles wants to sell you and inflatable car that costs under US$10,000. It'll be shipped to you in two boxes and take roughly two hours for two people to build. Completely electric, the car's light weight means it can get 480 kms on a single charge or up to 4,000 if you use their "hot-swap" technology. Oh, and its NASA-grade inflatable material—the same stuff used by our landers in space—is supposed to let you drive off cliffs and stuff.

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The MP100 may not be as capable as other palm-sized projectors, but what it lacks in terms of spec it makes up for in design. Actually, scratch that. I have absolutely no idea how a projector with a 5-watt LED, 10-15 lumen output, and 200:1 contrast ratio could be even the slightest bit useful. Plus, it can only throw a maximum 37-inch 640x480 image. Personally, I am content to wait for mini projectors (or Pico projector) technology which should hit sometime this year (or so they say).[Digitimes via Ubergizmo via DVICE]

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