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Casio Tough Movement For G-Shock Uses Internal LEDs to Sync Time
Posted by John Mahoney at 11:40 PM on August 1, 2008
These watch guts from Casio can receive radio synchronisation signals from six transmitters around the world every hour at the 55-minute mark--if the individual holes in the gear sprockets don't line up in precisely the exact position as measured by a 16Hz blinking LED and a phototransistor, the watch adjusts accordingly. The first Tough Movement watch, the G-Shock GS-1200, will be available in Japan for US$388. [Tech ON via Oh Gizmo]
Ooooh. Shelves. And red LEDs. They tell time. They store CDs. Who has CDs? Not me. But I don't care. It's a giant digital clock. Red over black, baby. 1980s, here I come again. Now I just need to rescue my white suit, tight pink T-shirt, and 
Better flush your porn transfer folder before heading home from Tijuana, guys, because the DHS can and will find it, according to a report by the 
The Winglet is Toyota's Segway killer--as if there was anything left to kill--a personal transport assistant that comes in three different models, all destined to fail in the US to the lack of sidewalk vehicle regulations and cheeseburger/cup holders. The three models--Type S, M, and L--look great, especially the small one, with no handlebar at all.
Design goodness hunters 
The Fuji Finepix S2000HD has sneaked through Canada's border. The HD stands for HD movie recording at 1,280 x 720 progressive, and at US$290, the 10MP, 15x wide angle zoom lenses, 2.7-inch screen, dual image stabilisation, and continuous shooting at 13.5 3,648 x 2,736-pixel frames per second, looks like a good deal from here. Especially if it comes with a barrel of whisky (yes, at last it's Friday). Full specs look nice:
Solar power has a lot of promise, but until recently there hasn't been an adequate way to store the energy the sun produces. Scientists at MIT have come up with a new fuel cell process that mimics the way plants store the sun's rays that is both efficient and inexpensive, not to mention environmentally sound. Without getting too technical, the system uses sunlight to separate water's hydrogen and oxygen atoms and then puts them back together in a fuel cell, providing energy. This means an almost limitless supply of clean energy might be just a few years away, though it's still too early to say when you'll have what you want: a solar powered laptop. [
There. I said it. I hate it. OK, I don't really hate it. But sometimes I want to smash it against the wall. The last time was in the pit at the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's concert in Madrid. I was there, first row, centre of the stage, after waiting a whole night and day outside of the stadium. That night was the most amazing and magical I've experienced in a very long time, and certainly the best rock concert I've ever been to. Only one thing failed: my iPhone's camera.
LG's 
NetShare is one app we never thought would make it onto the official iPhone App Store. All it does is set up a SOCKS5 proxy for you to get your laptop/computer online through use of the 3G/EDGE connection. Does it work? Yes. Yes it does. EDGE works just fine, although Mahoney says it's slow as balls. 3G impressions in a sec. Be careful of how much bandwidth you're using, since your provider probably makes a frowny face at you using their network to power your laptop, however "unlimited" your plan may be. [
Gear and derailleur mechanisms in high-end bikes are among the more impressive feats of engineering around, which makes bike madman Eric Hagerman's report in 
As a tall guy I can appreciate that designer Nicholas Lee Dunderdale incorporated an adjustable roof into his 3-wheeled Kassou concept car. The rubber "neck" can be raised or lowered depending on the passenger's need for headroom or better aerodynamics. But, to be honest, this thing looks like some sort of crazy science experiment. Like an unholy mixture of a giraffe, bat and a vacuum that surely goes against the laws of nature. I mean, what are those wings for anyway? Despite its odd appearance, the Kassou actually earned second place in the Car Design News Contest for 2008--although I wouldn't expect to see it on the street anytime soon. [
You know that sweaty guy who always comes into work smelling like an armpit? Yeah, you know who I'm talking about--and if you don't, "that guy" is probably you. Thanks to AOKI, you won't have to tolerate the funny looks, wrinkled noses and giggle-laden whispers of your co-workers any longer. The translation is shaky, but their new line of deodorising suits claim to absorb sweat, suck out odour and provide antibacterial protection using the power of silver ions. They also run about US$370 on sale. Unfortunately, if you don't live in Japan you will just have to continue being the smelly office outcast. [
Trying to put pressure on their competition, or feeling the pressure from increasing Samsung and LG market share, Nokia has reduced many handset prices by 10%--mostly music and media phones--but also making discounts across the whole portfolio. Analyst and Sean Connery-fan David Hallden calls the move a Crazy Ivan:
Despite the fact that they 
Reader Henry found this "mobile office" in New York last night, which is probably one of the strangest things I've ever seen. It consists of a desk, a keyboard, a desktop, a CRT, a lamp, a printer and flowers, all mounted on the passenger side of a convertible. Wha?
Forgetting to bring your electronics with you on a flight sucks really, really hard. This is why the DFW airport has allowed Best Buy to put Best Buy Express vending machines inside several terminals, giving travellers a chance to pick up the lost gadgets, chargers or headphones that they would otherwise have to do without. Is it a good deal? Probably not. But think of it as the electronics equivalent of having to buy a pack of Corn Nuts and going to town because you missed lunch. [
Late yesterday afternoon, Telstra tried to crash the mobile data plan cocktail party. The only problem is that instead of bringing a bottle of liqueur like Baileys or Kahlua, they brought a couple of cans of VB, a bottle of Passion Pop, and a cask of Tropicana. Then, instead of sharing their booze, they sat in the corner and got drunk by themselves.
Good news, chubbies! Science has got your back. Researchers at the Salk Institute have found two drugs that trick the muscles in mice into thinking they've been working out like crazy, even when said mice have been playing World of Warcraft and eating Funyuns for 8 straight hours.
A clever modder on the Ben Heck forums managed to cram an Xbox 360 controller into the shell of a PS3 Dual Shock controller. What resulted is an unholy union of the two consoles, bringing a controller for people with smaller hands to Microsoft's great grey beast. There's no headphone jack, although it may be added in the next go-around, but it looks pretty awesome to me. [
We reported in our 
A California Supreme Court judge has just ruled that early termination fees from mobile phone companies violates California state law and are illegal. What's this mean to you? Sprint Nextel has been ordered to pay US$18.2 million in reimbursements to customers who already paid their ETF, and to stop trying to collect US$54.7 million from customers who cancelled and refused to pay. But if ETF fees are illegal, does that mean 2-year contracts—which in turn give you subsidised price on your mobile phones—will be a thing of the past? Tough to say, but we're headed towards some change. [
Hey, I love pleasing scents as much the next person, but I don't think people are quite ready for an MP3 player that pumps odours through your earbuds. Nonetheless, a group of designers has come up with that very idea and dubbed it "Sweet Honey." I highly doubt that you will see something like this on store shelves anytime soon, but there are plenty of crazy stupid 
For those of you who've finally repressed Frucci's homoerotic slow-mo watergun facial