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Gadgets
Personalised Pancakes: Laser Etching vs. Silkscreen vs. Stencils
8:50AM Sean Fallon | It appears that Instructables member lamedust has moved on from laser-etched tattoos and fingernails to the exciting world of pancake personalisation. I don’t even touch a pancake unless it has the entire Simpsons cast etched on it, so I was excited to see which of the three printing methods would work best for my time-consuming pancake problem. Check out the very annoying video above and decide for yourself. [Instructables] More »
Peripherals
John Mayer: The Laptop Bag
2:15AM Mark Wilson | Hey guys, John Mayer here. I just wanted to let you know about my new laptop messenger bag. Because when I’m not having lights-off sex with women you could only dream about or double-douching it with twin Bluetooth headsets, I always make sure my fans are buying the latest in John Mayer branded gear. Oh, do I carry this bag? No way! I mean, it isn’t lined with Gerber baby skin won’t fit my Macbook Air. But it’ll work just fine with your piece of crap entry-level Dell, I’m sure! [John Mayer via ChipChick] More »
Phones
Samsung T919 Touchscreen Handset Confirmed For U.S. T-Mobile Customers
6:43AM Jack Loftus | There’s no price or release date announcement attached to these images of the Samsung T919 just yet, but we do know it’s coming to U.S. T-Mobile customers. Some day. We also know it sports the 1700 MHz WCDMA band, a five megapixel camera and a front-facing secondary camera. Wi-fi support is speculated, but not confirmed. [TMO News via BGR] More »
Gadgets
Seattle Flushes US$5 Million Automated Public Restrooms for Major Loss
5:30AM Jack Loftus | I thought automated public pay toilets were a sure thing. I mean, auto-cleaning, high-tech robo toilets that allow the occupant to remain inside for as long as they want, and then clean up all the evidence after the fact… what could go wrong?! Oh right, hookers and drugs, that’s what. Which is exactly why the five automated toilets in Seattle were recently sold off for a multi-million dollar loss. How big a loss? Well, when they were installed four years ago the toilets cost US$5 million. This week, after an online auction, they sold for just $12,549. More »
Cameras
Rumour: Release Date Leaked for Canon 5D Mark II
2:00AM Jack Loftus | In the wake of May’s Amazon listing for Canon’s 5D Mark II Field Guide comes a leaked spec sheet and release date for the slightly pricey DSLR. Citing an all-but-airtight “105% accuracy” rating, the poster says a September 8 release date is likely for the Mk II with an MSRP of US$2,400. It’s expensive, yes, but comparatively speaking it’s a bit less than the higher quality, more expensive Nikon D700. [Digital Photography Review Forums] More »
Gadgets
Kid-Invented Water Watcher Keeps Close Eye On Your Shower Wastage
6:30AM Gizmodo US Edition | Aw, here’s a cute piece of news: 12-year-old inventor Elizabeth Rintel has won the grand prize in a “Going Green Challenge” by youth media company By Kids For Kids with her “Water Watcher,” a device that measures and monitors water usage in the shower. The gadget, which can be fastened to any shower or faucet, sounds a beep and signals a red light every time a half-gallon of water is used. Cutting your shower short by just one minute could save 1,000 gallons of water per year, no small amount as our world possibly approaches the days of Peak Water. More »
Robots
British Army Competition Yields Bomb-Dropping, Hi-Def Video Taking, Unfortunately Noisy Flying Robot
4:00AM Gizmodo US Edition | One of the front runners of an ongoing British Army-sponsored competition for new military technology is this miniature spaceship-looking thing, which is designed to inconspicuously drop bombs and listening devices behind enemy lines. The external blade-less shape allows the machine to enter buildings through windows or doors, and an HD camera feed lets it double as a surveillance bot. More »
Robots
Snake-Like Rescue Robot Will Scare the Sh*t Out Of You, Then Pull You From the Rubble
11:00PM John Mahoney | If I was trapped in a pile of earthquake rubble, I’d do just about anything to get the hell out as soon as possible. But if this cilia-covered rescue snakebot squirmed it’s way up my leg, I think the chances of heart failure might need to be factored in. It’s called the Active Scope Camera, and it was conceived by researchers at Japan’s Tohoku University, all of whom are clearly fans of War of the Worlds. It’s a fibre-optic camera wrapped in a layer of tiny cilia bristles, which allow for millipede-like locomotion that’s creepy, creepy, creepy in this video. More »
Phones
Sprint Instinct Application Updates Go Live
9:30AM Matt Buchanan | If you’re rolling with the Instinct, you might have already noticed your applications prompting you for an update. If they haven’t yet, they will soon. Some of the app improvements include a less sucky browsing experience on Yahoo, Hotmail, Best Buy and YouTube; faster, more responsive Sprint TV/radio; performance improvements for the Music Store; less crashy Picture Mail; and a bunch of other fixes. Deep down, we were kinda hoping they’d replace the browser outright. [Instinct Insight via Mobile Burn] More »
Gadgets
2:16PM Nick Broughall | Some people think that I have the best job in the world. I happen to be one of them. The company who looks after the nap pods we featured on the site last week were kind enough to send over one of their Pzizz napping gadgets.
It looks like an MP3 player – there are three buttons on the front, a DC in and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top – but instead of playing music plays a series of relaxing and moving sounds to help you take a nap. From the website:
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Naptime! Pzizz Uses Technology To Help You Sleep
2:16PM Nick Broughall | Some people think that I have the best job in the world. I happen to be one of them. The company who looks after the nap pods we featured on the site last week were kind enough to send over one of their Pzizz napping gadgets.
It looks like an MP3 player – there are three buttons on the front, a DC in and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top – but instead of playing music plays a series of relaxing and moving sounds to help you take a nap. From the website:
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