Telstra Selling 32GB HTC One XL (4G) From June 5 
Aussie Teen's Picture Of Cash On Facebook Leads To Home Robbery 
Motorola Defy Mini Review 
The Downside Of Living In A Digital World 
Australia, NZ And South Africa To Share Square Kilometre Array 
Watch That Tiny $74 1.5GHz Android-Powered Thumb-Puter In Action We had no reason to offer any further proof that Japan is the unquestionable winner when it comes to wacky inventions, but the Melody Road convinces us our judgment is completely accurate. The Melody Road will allow a car passing above it to play a simple tune, which is made audible by ridges on the road’s surface. The pitch of the note created is increased by increasing the frequency of the ridges, and the opposite is also true. Jump for more details, and a completely baffling video.
I’m not sure why every product made for the iPod has to start with a small “i”. Anyway, Hercules has a new outdoor speaker for your iPod coming soon called the i-XPS 120. The cool part is that this particular speaker is designed for the outdoors and is waterproof. So waterproof, in fact, that the test unit Hercules sent me came with a watering can just to test this out.
The summer’s on its way, so good times for those who like to take their tunes outdoors. Sharper Image’s Wireless Outdoor Monophonic One-Speaker System—besides having a ridiculously long name—is here to help. The stylish speaker will allow you to pump your beats, via the included 2.4GHz transmitter, from MP3 player to glorified outdoor speaker. If the sun refuses to shine on your party in the park, the soft blue lighting will bring illumination to your festivities—is there nothing the Sharper Image people have not thought of?
Apparently not, since the system also has a 50m range. Mind you, that is hard to believe, even with the 2.4GHz transmitting goodness. Getting your music into the great urban jungle, for all to hear, shall set you back $199.95. [Coolest Gadgets]
The prospect of smellivision has intrigued Man since he was enjoying the earthy scent of dinosaur cooking over an open flame, wishing He could exploit its musk to sell more dinoburgers. At long last, NTT Communications is incorporating smells into their digital signs. Using one billboard (OK, LCD display) as an experiment this month, visitors of the Tokyo JR train line will get to see beer and smell delicious oranges.
No, it’s not what we had in mind either. The sign’s smells will change throughout the day, emitting lemon in the afternoon and “woody” aromas at night. The bottles of chemicals are used in various recipes to create the smells, which are ultrasonically sprayed across a 5,400 square foot area. The sign can gather updated scents through an auto web download. And for the ambitious hacker, we’re guessing some nasty pranks could be programmed for unintentional public consumption. [press release via pinktentacle]
newVideoPlayer("waterhobo_gawker.flv", 475, 376); The WaterHobo is a fully automated system that uses an infrared-capable videocamera, a PC and custom software written in C# to search and destroy garden pests. Well, actually, just humans. And it doesn’t destroy them either, it uses water to dissuade people from using its inventor’s yard as the path to a common swimming pool. The current version can even be operated through a remote client using a joystick. The best thing, however, is the automated “Holy Hand Grenade mode.” Its creator is now working on a new version, hopefully with lasers or death rays. [Waterhobo]
This guy Ed McBride makes all sorts of crazy steel sculptures, including BBQ grills that look like dragons. The largest one he’s made stands a hulking 9 feet tall and has a wingspan of 10 feet. They sure are awesome looking, in a strangely hypermasculine and dorky way, but with prices ranging from $40,000 to $90,000, I think I’ll stick to using a Weber while watching The Never Ending Story, thanks. [Product Page via Neatorama]
AG4 and GKD Metal Fabrics, a German architecture and design company and a woven metal fabric company, respectively, have designed Mediamesh and Illumesh—an LED technology to turn regular building sides into gigantic colorful ads. These two new methods of cabling and lighting let developers place LEDs even over windows—which was verboten before—thanks to the fact that it’s sleek enough to still be transparent and not obscure views. However, ads this large moving at regular speeds could be disorienting and vomit-inducing, something that we’re sure they’re working on avoiding. [PrintMag - Thanks Claire!]
newVideoPlayer("pigeonpooppool_gawker.flv", 475, 376); We already saw one homemade pest deterrent in the form of a squirrel catapult, but squirrels aren’t the only pesky animals around. Apparently, pigeons like pooping wherever they please, including in this guy’s pool. He wanted to stop that, so he set up a sprinkler-powered pigeon deterrent. It keeps his pool poop-free while also providing hours of pigeony entertainment. [Timekiller.tv]
Running at night is fun, but it’s dangerous if you don’t have a light. If you’re in the woods, you might fall in a hole or twist your ankle on a root, and if you’re on the road you might get hit by a car. Play it safe! This GoMotion Trail Running Vest has a chest-mounted light, giving you literal headlights to light the way in front of you. It can also hold a hydration system like a Camelbak, which is a nice touch. Bonus: it’ll make you look like Iron Man. [Product Page via Backcountry.com]
Industrial designer John Moriarty has come up with the Cocoon, a portable hanging emergency shelter that you sling from a tree and sit in, should you get into difficulties in the great outdoors. It’ll keep you warm and dry, not to mention turn you into a laughing-stock when the park ranger eventually finds you, swinging like a psychedelic bird box, beneath a leafy bough. [Coroflot via OhGizmo!]
