Woodies October 13, 2005
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The Eames concept (above right) from the Austin design firm id-one crossed Gizmodo’s desk last week. And today comes the wooden computer kiosk for $3,482. Seems like wood-based technology is really taking off lately, what with all the furniture made out of wood. Perhaps we ought to begin paying more attention to wood, this fiber is totally new to us. Is it breathable? Does it keep the PC cool? How does one go about cutting this material? As with all new technologies, it raises as many questions as answers.
Stunning Wooden Computer Kiosk [Gadgetryblog]
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Bicycle Tech In High Gear October 13, 2005
READ MORE PDA , Peripherals , Software
Seriously high tech cycling gear was on display in Las Vegas at the Interbike International Bike Expo. There were lots of carbon-fiber frames—this is the material that helped Lance Armstrong win the Tour, but it’s finally available to consumers in the sub-£600 price range. In the electronics category, manufacturers are now shifting away from devices that measure speed/distance/heart rate in favor of ones that measure “power output.” The Ergomo, for instance, measures:
torsion in the bottom bracket—the central spindle around which the cranks turn. As a rider pedals, the bottom bracket axle twists almost imperceptibly; the Ergomo measures this through an optical system and reports the data to its own handlebar-mounted computer.
Finally, there were some virtual race units (read: videogames) on display. The show itself took place late last month, but this show report is definitely worth a look.
High Tech Bicycle Toys at Interbike [ExtremeTech]
Madonnano, Whereforth Art Thou? October 13, 2005
READ MORE Digital Audio , Portable Media
Rumors of a Madonna-branded pink iPod nano had been being swirling for weeks. But then the mainstream media went all-in and placed big bets on it being the centerpiece of yesterday’s Apple unveiling. I’m talking about ABC News, The New York Post, BBC, and KESQ TV in Palm Desert, CA.—among others.
Thing is, I think they got everything right but the date. The pink nano, and the obligatory discount on Madonna’s greatest hits collection, is next month’s Apple announcement. It’s worth noting that the U2 iPod quietly left the Apple store for a place with no name. (Not that anyone noticed amidst the hoopla with Bono on the new iPod screen.) But it does fit that Jobs would introduce another celebrity-endorsed audio player, along with that discount for the iTunes store, about a year after the U2 iPod came out.
But what color pink? And won’t Motorola be seeing red given that their pink RAZR is supposed to be the hot celebrity tote of the season? Oh, I get flush just thinking about it.
Ricoh Caplio 8 Megapixel Camera Reviewed (Verdict: Just Fine) October 13, 2005
READ MORE Digital cameras
When it comes to cameras, Ricoh isn’t really a brand that stands out for most people. But they’ve been around forever and though their stuff isn’t always the best quality, you could usually count on a good price. The new Ricoh Caplio GX8 is a new 8 megapixel, compact camera that looks like it might be the breakout product for the company. Comes with a wide angle 28-85mm lens, minimal shutter lag and a great macro-mode for really close up photos (go up to 1cm). Goes for about around £250 in the US.
Ricoh Caplio GX8 [photography blog]
HP Follows Mac Mini Lead October 13, 2005
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When it comes to desktop computers, sometimes size just doesn’t matter. In fact, unless you’re planning on doing some hardcore processing, a mini PC is a pretty great idea—perfect for kids and of course, apartment dwellers like me. So I’m glad to see that HP is coming out with the s7210n SLimline PC. Small and skinny, it’s got 512 MB of RAM, a 160 GB hard drive DVD-Rom/CD-RW and a Celeron chip. Also a good solution for the chronic websurfer and IM addict and at $499 (£285), it’s definitely affordable should HP choose to launch in the UK. (Price without monitor.)
HP Pavilion s7210n Slimline PC [PCMag]
More Apple Stuff - Ipod Nano Speaker Dock October 13, 2005
READ MORE Digital Audio , Gadgets , Home Entertainment , Peripherals
Sorry to inundate you with even more Apple-related products, but might as well go with it while they’re on a roll. The Microblast Speaker Dock, designed specifically for the iPod Nano, is damn good-looking and well-designed. It uses AA batteries and an AC Adapter lets you play music while charging. And since we all seem to be so worried about protecting our precious iPods, the Microblast’s clear protective cover makes sure you won’t get even a tiny scratch. Not even a nano-sized one. Comes with white or black interchangeable frames and a travel pouch, for around £80. It's due out next month and you should be able to pick one up at MP3 Essentials or Ipodworld, among others.
Good Vibrations…For Phones That Is October 13, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets , Mobile phones , PDA , Smartphones , Software , Wireless
Toshiba scientists have come up with a unique way to make your mobile phone vibrate. A pressure sensor inside a flip phone will detect how much pressure is being put on the phone and will adjust the vibration for an incoming call accordingly. So if you’re some snobby emo-kid wearing women’s jeans, the phone will vibrate lightly. If however you threw it in your baggy sweatpants’ pocket, it will shake and rumble until you answer it or the Richter scale picks it up. I’m down since I’m always missing calls due to subtle vibrations from my mobile. The technology is designed for flip-phones currently, but other ideas are apparently in the works.
phone mobile phone toshiba science
Sony PCM-D1 Uber Audio Recording Thing October 13, 2005
READ MORE Digital Audio
Pardon the lack of technical terms in the title, but we are still trying to figure out everything this does. So, it is a recorder that can save audio onto 4GB of internal memory or Sony’s memory stick. It can record 96k-24-bit and features two integrated condenser microphones that provide phenomenal sound quality, and to top it off this thing looks really cool. It is constructed out of titanium and requires four AA batteries for operation. Expect to shell out around £1,145 for this little dandy.
Mario Kart DS Bundle on the way October 13, 2005
READ MORE Consoles
Listen up kiddies, Nintendo is planning on releasing a hell of a bundle for the holiday season. This will include a special edition red DS (featuring checkered wrist strap!) and the Mario Kart DS game ready for some hot WiFi action. It will be hitting the shelves in the US on or around November 25, and although a UK release date is yet to be set, we expect these to be hitting our shores well before the Christmas rush. Nintendo is also giving special flame stickers for all of your DS decoration needs.
Mario Kart DS bundle coming? [Kotaku]
Star Wars For Insects October 13, 2005
READ MORE Press , Robots
My fave mad prof, The Fast Show’s Denzil Dexter, has nothing on the movie-mad locusts and the bunch of boffins "up North". Claire Rind is a robotologist at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and has been spending time feeding locusts a steady diet of sci-fi movies – in particular, Star Wars. Why? She screens the movie and then monitors their eye movement and brain activity to help learn about collision avoidance which can then be - theoretically - adapted into a collision avoidance system for cars. The thinking goes that since they can travel in swirling swarms of millions without smashing the crap out of other, then they must know something we don’t. Watching Star Wars, they probably think they know a hell of a lot more than us, laughing their asses off at stupid, giant pink bipeds that keep flying slow metal things into each other. If you want to make cars safer, just take people out of them. More sci-fi insect fun here.
star wars Robotics science technology
Superhero Bike For Normal Folk October 13, 2005
READ MORE Announcements , Gadgets , Press
Someone at Yamaha has well and truly pulled on the spandex tights and mask for this baby, the Gen Ryu. This futuristic prowler certainly looks like it just crashed out of your movie screen but it’s actually real and bike lovers at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show this month will get the chance to get all touchy-feely. It’s one of nine bikes, comprising road bikes, eco-bikes and prototypes that Yamaha will be showing off. What’s really special about this one though is that it combines a 600cc engine with a “high-output, high efficiency electric motor” to produce the performance of a 1,000cc bike. And then there’s all that whizz-bang technology built-in: vehicle distance warning sensors, a light system for that adapts for cornering at night, a noise-cancelling system, music player, hands-free mobile phone, voice navigation, rear view monitoring via in-built CCD camera and LCD display. ENOUGH! Where the hell is my super-suit and passport?
Nokia E61 - All Business October 13, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets , Mobile phones , PDA , Smartphones , Wireless
The Nokia E-series, namely the butterfly-like E70, the candybar E60, and the QWERTY-tastic E61 - aka the Smiler - are methadone to the Crackberry addiction. The E61, shown above, is the latest in Nokia’s long war for the pockets of the business-class with support for “BlackBerry Connect, GoodLink from Good Technology, Nokia Business Center, Seven Mobile Mail, Seven Always-On Mail and Visto Mobile.”
The phone has a great spec-sheet: VOIP via WiFi and MiniSD expansion are nice. Quadband and Bluetooth are nice.
What does that mean for the rest of the QWERTY phone space? Not much, but these babies are popular in Europe so any inroads Blackberry may have made onto the Continent are in peril. The E61 is basically Nokia’s answer to last year’s pledge to focus on push email. After a few false starts, it’s nice to see it's getting something right.
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Merc Mouse - As close as we'll get October 13, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets , Laptops , PC , Peripherals
A lot of us like to live a luxurious lifestyle. But not all of us can afford it. I wanted an AMG SL55 Mercedes Benz, but I was just a dollar shy of it last month. However, my prayers were answered by this mouse. For those of use who demand to at least feel luxurious, there is the AMG-Mercedes Benz DTM racing team helmet mouse. An obvious must for any Mercedes enthusiast, the mouse is shaped exactly like driver Jean Alesi’s helmet and has your standard two buttons and optical base. Don’t you feel faster already?
gadgets mouse peripheral mercedes
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