Here’s an idea: people gesticulating wildly with their hands-free headsets already look crazy–why not capitalise on our nation’s love of all things crazy and cute by putting a mobile phone inside of an, oh, i don’t know, a teddy bear! So went a recent design meeting at Japanese firm Willcom apparently, who was showing their US$500 Kuma (bear) Phone concept at the recent Good Design Expo in Tokyo. Kuma takes an embedded SIM card and has assignable speed dial points on each paw, which you dial by squeezing. And of course, to accept and hang up calls, you squeeze its arse. Of course. [Trends in Japan]
Remember the Meizu M8? It was the iPhone clone, the one that we were all excited to see…back in 2007. Now that Apple’s added 3G to the mix, expanded storage and lowered the price with contract, the prospect of a (still unreleased) 8GB iClone has gotten a whole lot less enticing. But just for those who thought Meizu could never do it, here’s a decent walkthrough of their interface. Please note, however, that the clip contains some suggestive images of (underage?) females that you may not want to play at work. Stay classy, Meizu! [via Electronista]
There’s been no good reason that PSP users have had to download content through a PC or PS3 when the system can connect to Wi-Fi networks just fine on its own. Now Sony has revealed that a PSP Wi-Fi store is indeed in the works and slated to arrive in a firmware update this fall (confirmed for Japan only, we believe, but surely coming to the US as well). Ironically, when Sony is finally letting the PSP run free, they’ll also be offering a new reason to connect the device to a PS3.
If you needed another reason to keep your sysadmins happy: Out of 300 IT pros polled by security company Cyber Ark, 88% said they would steal sensitive data or futz with master login passwords if they happened to be fired. Granted, this is a study publicised by a company that offers services to protect networks against internal rogue operators, but the more data like this that comes out, the nicer our brave IT managers are likely to be treated. Or, the more ridiculous security barriers will be put in place to keep the good ones from easily doing their jobs–one or the other. So perhaps we should have our own informal comment survey–IT dudes: Would you go 21st century postal on your employers if you were let go? [Ars Technica, Image: shearforce]
Subwoofers celebrate a rich history of generic, monolithic designs. So it’s straight out rude of the Elac Microsub to subvert such heritage with its Rubik’s Cube styling. Low on vibration and Bluetooth equipped for wireless connection to your favourite A2DP streaming device, the Elac MicroSub is the best that dual music and puzzle cube fans will do without building a subwoofer themselves. Oh, and it’s also available in black and white, you know, as a hat tip to soul-less audio equipment everywhere. [Elac via ShinyShiny]
While space travel is safe for the most part, sometimes things go really wrong. Like last week’s NASA’s rocket explosion on the Wallops Island, where an ATK Launch Vehicle X-1 exploded only seconds after liftoff, with hazardous debris falling on land and sea. We are used to seeing the fireworks in the air, but what happens when that flaming debris hits the ground is much more spectacular and scary, as you can see in this video.
newVideoPlayer("/mielegiantfridge_gizmodo.flv", 520, 410,""); I don’t know if these fridges are the norm in the US, but it seems to me like Miele’s latest giganormous fridge from their Master Cool line–shown here at IFA 2008–has to be the biggest fridge ever available to megalomaniac consumers and potential serial killers. They should christen it The Walk-In Fridge, because this thing is so big that you can fit a cow inside. So huge in fact that I won’t be able to put it in my apartment’s living room. Actually, I think can put my entire living room and bedroom inside during the summer months. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]
We’ve been following the news and leaks on Dell’s Eee PC answer, the Inspiron 910, and now here’s some more info: we’ve learned it’ll be released on September 5th. The news is not concrete, for sure, and there’s no word on pricing, but that date’s soon: this friday, ultra-portable PC fans.
This isn’t the first USB-powered humidifier you’ve seen, but it may be the weirdest: it comes shaped and painted like a drink can. It uses ultrasound to generate “cool, moisturising steam” at the rate of 50ml per hour, which may sound attractive to you if your office environment is one of those over-air-conditioned ones. Though, nowadays in this crazy world, having a can on your desk connected to a computer and giving off bouts of “steam” is probably something you want to explain to your office mates if you don’t want to cause a panic. Yours, from Brando and in several can colours for just US$24. [Brando]
newVideoPlayer("/gorenjetable_gizmodo.flv", 520, 410,""); The Home Appliances halls at IFA 2008 have some of the best stuff in the fair, like this Gorenje fridge table, which seems to be a brand obsessed about doing really Star Trekish stuff for the kitchen. The table–with a central fridge that smoothly raises to give access to food and beverages, and a security system to avoid having your arm trapped in it–is not a concept but a real product made to order. The price: US$15,000 to US$20,000, depending on the material you choose. I’ll keep using my picnic fridge and raising it to the table while making a hmmmmm noise with my mouth, thank you very much. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]
