You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January, 2007.
When someone had his GPS stolen from his car he turned to ebay to replace the item, only to find it being offered up for sale by the thief! He was able to recognise it from the “special power chord” and serial number which was listed on the auction. He contacted the police who arrested a Mr Danial Rangkar and found loads more stolen gear at his home.
Source : Engadget
BMW released images of a new gadget today, but did not go on to explain what exactly it is and what it is used for. What we do know is that this sleek, wave shaped gizmo features a MP3 Player and DVD Player as well as BlueTooth and a voice recorder. We doubt that BMW is getting involved in the MP3 Player or DVD Player markets so what exactly does this device, that is almost certain to be meant for use in a BMW vehicle somewhere, do? We will just have to wait until the car company makes an announcement to find out.
Source : Autoblog
Intertainer Inc., a company that few have heard about, has made major headlines recently announcing that it has already filed a lawsuit against Google, Apple and Napster for “infringing a patent on a way to distribute digital entertainment over the Internet.”
It is doubtful that Intertainer Inc. would ever receive any money because it “suffered irreparable harm” for what these three major tech giants infringed, but still, this is the last thing that Apple needs. They are already facing numerous lawsuits for various allegations, including one relating to iTunes becoming a monopoly in the legal online music distribution market.
Source : Paidcontent
Tags: intertainer, law suit
We all knew that the new Toshiba’s HD-XA2 HD DVD players would be coming out in the very near future; however, I doubt that many knew or anticipated that they are already in stores. Yes new photos and reports confirm that retailers such as Value Electronics already received the Toshiba’s HD-XA2 HD DVD players and that they are selling fast. I am a bit surprised at this. Who wants a $1000 HD DVD Player?
Dash Navigations, the company famous for creating GPS Systems that are connected with the Internet announced today that they have teamed up with Yahoo! to add search results to driving directions displayed on the GPS Unit. This will allow users to search for Chinese Food or Sports Bars and get instant directions to the closest businesses that meet their search term. The technology will be on display at CES 2007, which is just around the corner.
Source : Gizmodo
Tags: dash navigations, gps, yahoo
WalleTex, a company known for creating thin products with their credit sized USB Drive, is back in the news again today after announcements and pictures of their new credit card sized MP3 Player started making their way around the Internet. This MP3 Player blows all competitors out of the water in terms of thickness and will be available in June 2007. No word on price, but their will be various versions with various storage capacities. We know that the most expensive WallTex Credit Card MP3 Player will be able to store 2MB of music.
Tags: mp3 player, walletex
For those of you under some stress recently, I present the new USB stress relieving massage ball. All you have to do is plug in the USB cable and instantly massage any sore areas of your body without leaving your desk.
It is available for just $12 with free shipping from Overstock.com after a 40% discount.
Tags: usb. massage
While doing my daily browse of BestBuy.com today, I came across a new Super Man alarm clock that projects the time and an image of the Super Man “S” logo. The clock also features an AM/FM radio, but the most noticeable feature is a giant Super Man logo button on the top that functions as the “Snooze” button. It can be purchased for just $20 from Best Buy.
Tags: alarm clock, projection, superman
A few days ago we posted about new color changing faucets where the water is blue when cold and gets more reddish in color as the temperature of the water rises. Well, the same concept has no been applied to spoons. The new spoons are meant to be used with soup, but can be used to eat pretty much anything and will change colors based on the temperature of their surroundings. Plus, they are pretty inexpensive and a pack of three can be purchased for just $9.50.
Tags: heat changing, heat sensitive, spoons
Apple recently filed a patent here in the United States for a “hybrid low power computer mouse According to Apple’s patent, their solution is a “hybrid computer mouse having both a low power accelerometer used in combination with an optical tracking engine to provide velocity or relative positional data with low tracking errors over a wide range of use.”
The patent goes on in detail to describe why there is a need for such a mouse and provides some background on the history of the computer mouse. According to the patent, this new mouse was invented by Steve Hotelling, Joshua Strickon, Brian Huppi and Christoph Krah. This mouse will most likely be wireless using BlueTooth technology and the “low power” modification will allow it to get a longer battery life.
Tags: apple mouse
Over the last year we have seen a lot of gadgets old/new and various fancy stuff, one of them is definitely a ‘Mp3 watch’ which i own personally. This is a Stainless Steel Mp3 watch with 1GB of memory. The watch looks pretty good just like any other watch, but the main feature is the storage capacity and its usefulness.
You can play MP3 files (MPEG 1/2 and Layer3) and the memory is U Disk formatted. The battery life of the watch (for MP3 playback) is close to 9 hours when fully charged. This is really good for such a product. There is also a recording feature by which you can record audio in WMA format.
MP3s can be saved on the storage watch through USB 2.0 transmission. The Stainless steel MP3 watch will cost you around $75 which is not a great deal of money. Along with the watch you get the needed Usb cables and a earphone. It is currently available at Brando.com.hk, with free shipping so get over there if you need one of these.
Tags: No Tags
Logitech has added more speakers to their already impressive collection with the release of the X-240 speakers. These are a bit similar to the Logitech Z10 but those come with a LCD display ofcourse and are much more expensive that these.
The Logitech X-240 cost you only $50 and they will be available from Q2 of 2007. These are pretty good for the price and come with a iPod and Zune docking stations. You can connect your Mp3 player via the Auxiliary input and enjoy great music from your iPods/Zunes. These speakers don’t have on board controls for changing tracks, but you can always stretch yourself to the player and do the needful.
The Logitech speakers come with 2 year warranty and 50 watts of peak power. The speakers measure 6.9″ x 2.6″ x 3.8″ while the sub woofer is of 8.7″ x 5.9″ x 8.7″.
Tags: No Tags
Fujifilm has released the low-end versions of their digicams for beginners or people who just can’t afford those slim and tiny cams.
The Finepix A610 comes with a 6.3 megapixel CCD with 3x optical zoom. It has between 100-400 ISO range and comes with a 2.5 inch LCD display. The camera has a xD picture card slot as well as a SD card slot for storing your photos and videos along with 10mb of internal memory. The A610 comes with a 2 shooting modes and 14 scene positions.
The Fujifilm A800 camera has a 8.3 megapixel CCD also with a 3x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD like the A610. The difference between them is the 12mb of internal storage plus 3 scene positions more than the A610.
The cost for the A610 and A800 is $129 and $179 respectively. The reason for this low pricing is that the camera is more heavy and bigger in size than the others. Also these cameras use AA batteries instead of rechargeable ones which are expensive.
Tags: No Tags
2007 has surely started with a bang as far as Hitachi goes and for the media storage market. Hitachi had earlier said they will be announcing the 1TB hard drive soon, but we thought it would take much more time that they suggested.
Well, we have been proved wrong and they have actually announced the launch of the 7K1000 Hard drive which comes with 1TB of space. These babies will cost you about $400, which is pretty aggressively priced in our opinion. The disk is available in both SATA II and PATA 144 variants.
The 7K1000 comes with a 32mb buffer, super quiet whilst operation feature and 7200 rpm sindle speed. We thought we could get a 10k rpm drive from them but they have stuck to the much common lower speed drive. The transition from 7200 rpm to 10,000 rpm has not been quick at all but we expect a few manufactures to go aggressive on this one and probably come out with a 15k rpm drive by the year end.
Tags: No Tags
If you’re looking at the above photo and thinking “Brilliant! someone has finally created an iPod dock to go in the bathroom which also dispenses toilet roll” then I suggest you take a long hard look at yourself. This iPod dock from iCarta does exactly that and “boasts” the following features :
- 4 Integrated high performance moisture-free speakers deliver exceptional clarity and high quality sound
- Charges your iPod while playing music
- Audio selector allows you to play iPod shuffle or other Audio device
- Integrated Bath tissue holder that can be easily folded as a stereo dock
- Requires AC Power (AC Adapter included)
- Easy to remove from Wall Mount
- Rechargeable battery provides up to 8 hours of playtime.
If you’d like to buy one of these, head over to iCarta’s delightfull website.
Source : The Gadget Blog
Tags: dock, iPod, toliet roll holder
“Does your hot drink getting cool or cold drink getting warm while you drink it slowly?” asks, Hong Kong company Brando so eloquently. No? Me neither, but for those desk-bound geeks who suffer from drink warming this usb-powered chiller should help you out no end. It will set you back $24 and comes in cool apple-white to match all your other desktop gizmos.
Source : Engadget
Tags: usb chiller
Matsushita is a Japanese company we have been hearing about a lot recently and now, the company has officially announced that they have created a prototype of a human robot suit with artificial muscles. Now unfortunately, this suit won’t turn you into Super Man and instead of giving you super strength, but it will help with the rehabilitation of stroke victims who have trouble moving their limbs. This suit is expensive with an estimated cost of $17,000 (so its definitely not for everyday personal use for the average person…yet), but when it is mass produced, the cost should decrease. The company has said they hope to have this product released by 2009 and we will just have to wait and see if they can make that deadline.
Source : Yahoo News
Tags: robot suit
The Korean company Mobiblu has just released their newest MP3 Player, the Cubisto. The Cubisto comes in a 1GB and 2GB model and isn’t actually what we world refer to as the “cream of the crop” in the MP3 player market. The Cubisto only supports MP3 and WMA files and a cube shaped MP3 player is definitely not on my wish list. Sure the MP3 Player is cheap, retailing at just $90 for the 1GB model and $110 for the 2GB model, but other MP3 Players (from SanDisk and off course the iPod Shuffle) are also in the same price range and are more portable that the Cubisto and have more features or support more file types.
Our Final Verdict: The Cubisto is a cheap MP3 player, and even though it is one of the few 1GB MP3 players under $100, there are many other MP3 Players in the same price bracket with more to offer.
Tags: mobiblu cubisto, mp3 player
This holiday season we want to encourage all of our readers to enjoy themselves and stay safe, especially when drinking alcoholic beverages. This time of year sees an increase in DUI charges and dangerous or even fatal accidents caused by drivers who were intoxicated. Alcohawk has created a new digital breathalyzer that is the real deal and will tell you whether you can drive, or you need to get a ride or call a cab. The device is expensive retailing at $120, but this is not the BAC screener you use once and then throw away.
According to the manufacturers, this new gizmo has a professional-grade ABI (Alcohol Breath Indicator) is FDA-cleared and meets NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) specifications for personal-use models and utilizes a state-of-the-art oxide sensor to quickly and accurately estimate your blood alcohol content. This gizmo is expensive, but it could save your life, or someone else’s. Off course you could avoid paying for this gizmo and simply designate a driver.
Tags: alcohol, breathalyzer
The new Quad Timer from American Innovative will have chefs and multi-taskers everywhere rejoicing. This stylish gizmo allows you to time four different activities at the same time and set alarms for each of the system’s four timers. The timer only needs two AAA batteries to work and can be set for anywhere between 1 minute and 24 hours.
The gizmo is inexpensive retailing at only $20 (or $30 if you want soft touch rubberized hosing) and makes a great post holiday season or New Year’s gift for any chef or multi-tasker on your list.
Tags: alarm, quad timer
Today we came across these new bowling pin lamps that illuminate when standing up and can only be shut off if they are knocked down or the bulbs fuse. These pins are meant more as a novelty gadget or night light then pins that you actually use for bowling, but if you want to bowl in the dark with illuminated pins, these lamps are regulation size bowling pins at 15 inches tall and are made of plastic so you don’t have to worry about the shattering when the bowling ball hits them. However, good luck finding them when you get a strike.
You can purchase a bowling pin lamp for $22 a piece at Shopfosters
Tags: bowling pin, lamp
Dubai-based real estate developer Omniyat Properties has announced that they plan to spend $800 Million or more to build a 23 story building based on the Apple iPod. The building will be in the shape of an Apple iPod tilted on an iPod dock.
“Our aim was to launch three projects this year but strong market demand encouraged us to deliver more. Out of the entire portfolio, we have sealed sales worth approximately Dh2.4 billion,” said Mehdi Amjad, president and CEO of Omniyat Properties, an arm of Almasa Holdings.
Construction will start next year in 2007 and is expected to be completed by 2009. The iPad will be in the Business Bay of Dubai and the concept was designed by Hong Kong-based architects James Law Cybertecture International.
Tags: iPod building
There have been rumors circulating about the new Fujitsu LifeBook P7230, a very portable laptop that is considered to be a rival for the not even confirmed Apple’s 12” Notebook that many expect to be displayed at CES in January.
This new notebook features 11 hours of battery life using Intel’s ultra-low voltage CPU, and it is expected to come in black and white color variations, just like many of Apple’s laptops. According to our sources the P7230 may have a screen size of just 10” making it smaller and more “ultraportable” than the rumored 12” MacBook.
NextoDI’s Nexto-Ultra ND2525 is a new gadget that will be loved by photographers everywhere. The device allows you to store up to 40GB of photographs on a single charge without the use of a computer. You can back up all photos on your 1GB flash card on this new gadget in less than a minute. The only downside is that the NextoDI Nexto-Ultra ND2525 only supports CF/MC cards and is currently only available in Korea.
Source : Aving
Tags: backup, nexto ultra, nextoDI
While surfing the net today I came across a new roll up USB keyboard from Geeks.com that allows you to play your favorite piano tune on its rubber keys and easily move the keyboard from one location to another so you can practice while on the go. This keyboard retails for just $30 and can be purchased from geeks.com
Tags: No Tags
Clocky, the beloved rolling alarm clock from MIT that we have been hearing about for some time, is now finally on the market. This new alarm clock rings one time only and if you snooze or let it keep ringing without getting up and turning it off, it rolls away. That’s right, this alarm clock rolls away from your night stand or wherever you keep your alarm clock, and keeps ringing and flashing forcing you to get up and find it. I have a feeling people are going to end up getting really ticked off with these new alarm clocks… especially when they roll behind something that you can’t reach.
Tags: alarm clock, clocky
Those of you who spend hours at your desk daily may appreciate the new Desktop Air Conditioner. This Desk AC is cheap retailing at only $24 with free shipping after a $6 discount, and is very easy to install and maintain. All it needs is ice water to convert into a cool breeze to keep you cool throughout the day. You can purchase it from Klear Gear.
Tags: air conditioning, desk
Even though there is a lot of buzz around ultraportable laptops with screens less than 15” today, Microworks Vega is “going big” with its new 20.1 inch screen. The laptop features the AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 CPU and can be customized with a number of features including a Blu-Ray disc burner, a TV Tuner, a built-in GPS System, up to 600GB of storage and more.
Of course all of this is going to cost you and you can expect to spend as much as $7800, or $3600 if you get the standard version with no extras. You can purchase and customize your 20.1” mammoth of a laptop if you have $3600-$7800 left after the holidays for a laptop.
Tags: 20.1 inch screen, laptop
Meizu has always been known as an innovative company who has created MP3 Players and other portable gadgets that were “total media centers” and allowed you to store everything you wanted in one place. Well now, Meizu is letting their customers design their newest MP3 Player to generate interest and save millions in research and development.
You can draw up your own design and submit it here. I wonder if other companies will follow in Meizu’s footsteps. After all, many companies have been getting their customers to do all the work for them from creating advertisements to designing products.
Tags: meizu, mp3 player
Sharper Image has just created a new desk lamp that has many USB ports to charge any gadget you may have that charges via a USB port. The lamp, known as the S1561, was just cleared by the FCC and should be available sometime early in 2007.
We will let you know when we get pricing information. Sharper Image has a reputation for being quite pricey.
Source : Mobile Mag
Tags: desk lamp, usb charger
The Virtual Family Dinner is a new gadget we expect to see in 2007 that allows you to have dinner with someone miles away or in the next room using a television and speakers. The gadget lets you and your friends or family connect no matter where in the world you maybe for dinner time. The Virtual Family Dinner is expected to cost between $500 and $1000, but you could always save yourself a few hundreds bucks and get videoconfencing over your PC.
Source : USA Today
Tags: dinner, video conferencing, virtual
Mitsubishi has come out with a 22inch widescreen LCD display. The LCD has a very standard 800:1 contrast ratio with 5ms response time. A straight competitor to this would definitely be the Dell E228WFP which was recently released in Canada and is about to be announced in the US.
The RDT221WM was announced a few weeks back and will be available soon, to be precise the date is set for a January last week release. The LCD has a 160 degrees display angle and comes with a 1680 x 1050 display resolution. The TV has an impressive 16 million color display and 300 cd/square brightness measure. The audio is not too great with a 1W plus 1W stereo output.
The Mitsubishi LCD will cost you around $500 and is pretty much priced in line with the other LCD monitors and TVs. The RDT221WM measures close to 505.2 × 210.8 × 427.8 mm and weighs approximately 20 pounds. We will be looking forward to more additions by Mitsubishi in their LCD showcase, but for the moment lets just be content with this one.
Tags: No Tags
Microsoft’s move to give away heavily loaded Acer Ferrari’s to various tech bloggers out there has back fired on them. Earlier last month Microsoft had given away quite a few Acer Ferrari models, the Acer Ferrari 1000 and the Ferrari 5000 worth almost $2500 dollars each.
These laptops were loaded with their latest operating system, ‘Windows Vista’ and the bloggers were encouraged to review the machines and if possible for them to post their feedbacks on the heavily read blogs. This has not gone down well with a few and have come out angry saying that it’s a ploy for MS to bribe them in giving away good reviews of their latest Operating System.
After all this, the company sent out letters and emails asking them to only evaluate it on true basis and after doing that they could return it or give it away. This was certainly a pretty foolish thing to do (sending letters/emails) as it made the situation even worse.
I for one would definitely not mind an Acer Ferrari 5000 coming my way, would you ?
Tags: No Tags
