Epson R-D1 Digital Rangefinder…wait what? November 8, 2005
READ MORE Digital cameras
Epson has a fancy camera out that would possibly appeal to the most hardcore photogs out there. This is the RD-1 digital rangefinder camera. Lets take some time for a quick history lesson for the less photoggy people. Rangefinder cameras were used back in the day of 35mm. The viewfinder they would give a split image of the subject until the picture was focused. So then the focusing is done until there is one single image. These cameras were nice because they were quiet, small, corrected for parallax and allowed for extremely precise focusing on images really close.
So lets jump to the modern age of digital cameras. Digital SLR cameras are now the cat’s pajamas of photography, they do pretty much everything you could ever imagine at really good quality. All of the old perks of the rangefinder cameras are now kind of dead, especially with the rangefinder camera being digital. This R-D1 is a six megapixel camera that has absolutely no autofocus, has center-weighted metering, and the aperture can be manual or automatic exposure. There are no extra perks of the modern digital camera, it just takes picture. Next point, this thing is around $3,500 dollars. That is near $2,000 more than the moderate level DSLR camera out right now. Maybe I am just too naive and frugal, but will the ube- photogs out there please prove me wrong and tell me why this digital rangefinder might be a good gadget and can do stuff that a DSLR can’t.
Epson R-D1 Digital Rangefinder Camera [Trusted Reviews]
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Shake-U-Later November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
A lot of normal, basic calculators these days tend to be solar powered. But some of us don’t get to see light much when we’re trapped in a dungeon four stories below the surface without a computer. So when I heard about a calculator that could be powered by just shaking it, I became absolutely ecstatic. Now I can give it a few shakes and I’m ready to do my calculations. I quietly looked around and pulled out a 10 pound note from my sock and slipped it to the guard. “That Shake-u-lator Calculator costs £9.99. Get me one….please.” I cried. He nodded in agreement and walked away. I knew the rest of my jail term would be easier now that I had a calculator I could shake to power up, turn upside down and spell “boobies” with.
Shaker Calculator [The Gadget Blog]
CBS, NBC Take Shows and Go Play at Someone Else’s Video-On-Demand Party November 8, 2005
READ MORE Home Entertainment
In a move that blatantly rides on the video iPod’s coattails, CBS and Comcast, as well as NBC and DirecTV, have made deals that will let you to watch current primetime shows just hours after they’re played over the air. Shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order lead the pack of programs that will be available. (Doesn’t Law & Order already air 800,000 times per day on four different channels for free?).
“As with the Disney iPod deal, I think this deal is symbolic of the new age,” said Leslie Moonves, co-president and chief operating officer of Viacom Inc. and chairman of CBS.
I can’t help but read the subtext of this statement as: “We were too slow and lacked the foresight to bow before Jobs, so instead we took all our toys and went to Leslie’s house to play.”
Come January, you’ll be treated to CBS-Comcast VOD like “CSI,” “NCIS,” “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race.” All of these will be available to you on PPV at midnight after the original show airs for .99 cents. (That is so cheap that it’s almost an insult — Survivor is only worth .99 cents!) Unlike the Apple/ABC deal, all the commercials will be left intact. Although you should be able to fast forward through them if this is regular VOD, right? Right??
NBC’s deal is a bit different. Here your shows will be commercial-free on DirecTV, though you can only get them if you buy a DirecTV Plus Interactive DVR — which will be available in the next few months. This will cover shows like Surface and The Office as well as the Law and Order franchise and even some shows from its cable networks like Monk and Battlestar Gallactica.
NBC, CBS to offer shows on demand for 99 cents [Reuters]
Java-Log - Hard, Brown, and Fiery November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
When Time magazine says something is the coolest thing in the world, you have to be wary, but those eagle-eyed futurists have hit one out of the park. The Java-Log is a lump of compressed coffee grounds and offers:
a slightly sweet aroma but no coffee aroma, no chemical smell, and less carbon dioxide than traditional fires.
We can also assume that you can put one of these in the Snorkel fiery hot tub and make a huge pot of java for the Hell’s Angels parked on your back forty.
Burn Recycled Coffee Grounds in Your Fireplace with Java Logs [SingleServeCoffee]
Airport Security Update: Please Do Not Remove Your Shoes At This Time November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
People get all worked up about taking off their shoes at the airport. When I get a chance to take off my shoes and relax, I always take it. Unfortunately, GE Security now has a device that scans shoes while they are on the person. Simply place your feet on the device, and a a few seconds later you are cleared to move onto the next security checkpoint: the cavity search. I tried one of these at an airport once — must have been an unwitting beta tester because I’ve never seen it again. And my foot developed this strange fungus soon after…
There are also some solutions out to speed up the bomb scans in luggage. Clint Sewerd designed a bottle screening machine that fires microwaves through the bottle and is able to detect flammable liquids. Cyterra is building a machine that uses pressure to squeeze explosive particles out of a massive aluminum container that can hold around 100 pieces of luggage. I don’t really care what security means are used as long as it speeds up the airport security time for my “leisure” trips to Amsterdam.
Device Scans Luggage, Shoes for bombs [We-Make-Money]
Creative Speaker Systems November 8, 2005
READ MORE Home Entertainment
Creative is coming at us from a different angle this time, launching three small speaker systems. The highest-end set is the GigaWorks ProGamer G500 (£180), which has 5.1 sound, THX certification and 310-Watts RMS of power. It also includes an 8-inch, front-firing, long-throw driver and Twin Flared DynaPort technology for better bass. The satellites have Twin Flared DynaPort technology and 3-inch full-range drivers. They can also be wall mounted and the subwoofer has an auxiliary input that can be used with other audio products. One step down is the Inspire T6060 (£50), another 5.1 system with an 18-Watt center speaker and two-way satellite speakers with a separate tweeter and mid-range driver. A wood subwoofer rounds out this package. The least costly of the bunch is the T3030 (£35), which is only a 2.1 system with smaller satellite speakers for more desktop space and a stereo-to-RCA adapter for connection to home entertainment and music systems.
Creative Refreshes Speaker Range [Biosmagazine]
Sony Cyber-Shot Covered in Crystals November 8, 2005
READ MORE Digital cameras , Gadgets
Here’s a nifty digicam update from Sony, though as of now it’s only going to be available through the high-end Cierge luxury services. I only caught a glimpse of the crystal studded DSC-T7 Cyber-Shot camera, but was told that it can be customized in any array of colors and crystal designs you’d like. The camera itself is 5.1 megapixels with a 2.5-inch LCD and Carl Zeiss lens. Should be announced officially around Nov. 15 and go for about £575.
Sweet Cases: Humidor NX November 8, 2005
Given all the steroidally over-muscled PC case mods out there, it’s nice to see a refined and sophisticated one like that Humidor NX (pictured right). This is the sequel to Jeffrey Stephenson’s Humidor PC. It’s made of old cedar wood with a gorgeous cherry finish. Too bad Jeffrey had to go and put a blue light inside there (never seen that before). Instead of a fine Romeo y Julieta, the Humidor holds an AMD Geode CPU running at 1GHz, a 120 GB Seagate SATA drive and a 1 GB of Corsair RAM. Next up is the DECOmputer (as in art deco). Jeffrey took an old Caulkins Appliance Co. Breakfaster and turned it into a great looking case (pic after the jump). It sports a 1.8 GHz Pentium M CPU, and a 40 GB hard drive. If you’re looking to get your hands on these though, tough luck — they’re not for sale!
The Humidor NX [via The Inquirer]
iTunes on the RAZR V3i November 8, 2005
Well, we got confirmation. The new RAZR will be ROKR-enabled and support iTunes music transfers, which is pretty hot. See, Motorola, if you put out a phone people LIKE with iTunes, they’ll buy the phone and like the iTunes feature. If you put out a crippled candybar that looks kind of dopey, the world will boo and hiss. Some operators might not carry the iTunes phone, which is quite possibly the dumbest idea in the world, but thems the breaks. The new RAZR also rocks a 1.23-megapixel camera and 8x digital zoom. New Razr V3i with iTunes [Amobil]
Toshiba’s Full-On Portable DVD Player November 8, 2005
I do love me a good portable DVD player. And the SP-P2800 looks like it’s done right by Toshiba Japan. It lights up with a 9V type IPS LCD with 800 x 480 resolution with an up and down/ left and right viewing angle of 170 degrees. Add to that a 4-in-1 card slot (supposedly the first of its kind on a portable DVD player) which supports SD card, MMC, Memory stick and XD picture card as well as a 14 bit/108MHz Video DAC for high picture conversion (another supposed first). It plays DVD-R/RW (VR mode), CD / CDRW and supports MP3, DIVX and WMA (straight from the memory card). Oh, it also has a Television / CATV / FM tuner built in. A fully charged battery should last you 4.5 hours and it weighs in at 1.3 kg. Going for around £345 in the US come early December. No details yet on a UK release.
Toshiba SD-P2800 Portable DVD player [New Launches]
Protect Your Porn! November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
I’m a strong believer in privacy. After all, you don’t want just anyone – or anyone at all – for that matter, accessing your porn collection. Or other important, sensitive files on your company laptop. That’s why I always go for fingerprint authentication. Meet the Fingkey Hamster 2, specifically designed to protect your Beaver collection. Or those vital monthly stats reports for your boss. Looking a little like a joystick, this is the new improved version of the Hamster 1, no doubt, and comes with new Live Finger Detection technology. This means if your finger has no pulse it’s no dice. Hamster II decides whether or not your finger is actually a living organism by its reaction to light. Be sure to explain this to the gentleman whom someday will no doubt want to chop your finger off to go with the stolen notebook. More.
gadgets security laptop biometrics
Sony DRM Phones Mother Ship, Hates You November 8, 2005
I’m about done with this topic, but we’ve got a few updates from the hivemind informing us that a) the Sony DRM scheme phones home/is intrusive and b) Sony doesn’t care because nobody knows what a rootkit is anyway.
First point: Sysinternals discovered that the DRM unisntaller requires you to put in all your specs and then gives you a “unique ID” to download the uninstaller. Then the uninstaller doesn’t run unless you shut down the DRM and you can’t shut down the DRM until you run the uninstaller. Ay! Lucy!
Second point: In an NPR interview:
Thomas Hesse, President of Sony’s Global Digital Business, literally says: "Most people, I think, don’t even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
So malicious intent and active contempt. Way to keep the faith.
The real question here: How far can a company go to keep their content safe? I see both sides of the DRM debate, but this is just irresponsible.
More on Sony: Dangerous Decloaking Patch, EULAs and Phoning Home [Sysinternals via TheInquirer]
Sony: Rootkits Are Okay, Because No One Knows What They Are [TechDirt]
Not your average bath November 8, 2005
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Ok, this has got to be the most unique kind of soap you'll ever use.
Yes, the day has now come; we no longer have to use soap made from ash and pig fat. Now we are sophisticated and chic and we have access to soap that vibrates. Or more specifically, bars of bright blue, vaguely fruit/blueberry scented soap that vibrates, powered by a tiny battery embedded deep in the bar. Supposedly good for soothing sore muscles, but what you do with your own soap is entirely your decision. No questions asked.
Clean up for £6.99, right here.
Phoenix Audio Duet PCS Review (Verdict: Makes Skype Sound Crystal Clear) November 8, 2005
READ MORE Digital Audio , Gadgets , Online , Wireless
At first, I didn’t think this Phoenix Audio Duet USB speakerphone was really necessary — I mean, using a headset with Skype should be enough, right? Well, according to the VOIP-heads over at VOIPSpeak:
"A USB sound device is much more efficient than using a soundcard for VoIP applications… With a USB audio device, the device converts the audio into digital signals before sending it to the computer. This results in much better sound quality and compression which can have a dramatic efect on VoIP conversations."
They go on to say that the Duet PCS not only functions as a USB speakerphone, but also has a standard headset jack for even higher quality sound. And because it registers as an audio device, you can use it on any VoIP or IM app (Skype, Gizmo, Google Talk, etc.). Audio specs include full duplex performance, suppressed residual echo, voice level equalization, and equaliser algorithms. Further testing showed that it was easy to install, and worked as advertised, prompting VoIPSpeak to give it a pretty big thumbs up.
Phoenix Audio Duet PCS Review [VoIPSpeak via UberGizmo]
Laos Japan Vibrating Mouse November 8, 2005
This optical vibrating mouse comes with a motor that can be turned on and off using a switch below the scroll wheel. The mouse has 3 buttons as well as multiple bumps on the “palm” surface (for comfort?). This reminds me a lot of Logitech’s iFeel mouse that used Immersion technology. I wonder if this mouse — which is incidentally made by a Japanese company named Laos — vibrates when the cursor hovers over certain elements on the screen. Available for Windows only, this USB mouse is retailing for 2480 Yen (GBP £12).
Laos Vibrating Mouse [NewLaunches]
Xbox 360 Bundles on Amazon November 8, 2005
READ MORE Consoles , Gadgets , Games , Wireless
GadgetMadness noticed that Amazon (through Toys R Us) isn’t selling the XBox 360 by itself, and only in bundles (no surprise there). The crazy thing is that both the Core Player Bundles and Pro Player Bundles are going for $1,000 (around £570) each. What justifies that G-money? The Core Player Bundle come with 10 games (including Call of Duty 2), an extra wired controller, a 64MB memory unit, and a Hot Rod faceplate. The Pro Player Bundles come with 8 games (also with Call of Duty 2), an extra wireless controller, a Play and Charge kit, a rechargable battery pack, and a “Woody” faceplate. Full features of each bundle after the jump.
New Netgear RangeMax 240 - Über Fast November 8, 2005
READ MORE Online , Wireless
Netgear is coming out with a new form of wireless products dubbed “RangeMax 240”. They offer 240 Mbps, which is really fast and is something you normally get from being wired, not wireless. Designed for things that suck up bandwidth faster than a Dyson like video-on-demand, VoIP, iChat AV (har har), and online gaming, of course. The RangeMax 240 family of products with new, advanced True MIMO Gen 3 Technology includes a wireless router, notebook adapter and USB 2.0 adapter. Netgear hasn’t set a price but we can imagine some kind of package deal coming out with the router and 2 USB adapters. Keep an eye out for this soon but keep in mind that it’s not a fully tested standard just yet.
LED Faucet Light November 8, 2005
The faucet experience is so boring. Clear water, always the clear water. What if you could have a party in your faucet? Turn the water on, and the running water activates the LED, making the water look bright blue. You could also use it as an additional light source for doing sexy dishes. Each faucet light set includes 3 button cell batteries, a wire screen, 2 universal adapters. All of that for about £8.50. Not too bad for something that’ll add some pizazz to the bathroom, letting you wash in the same blue colored water that swirls around the toilet bowl. Ah, refreshing!
Faucet Light [ThingsYouNeverKnew via Red Ferret]
Iqua Bluetooth UFO November 8, 2005
With a name like the Bluetooth “UFO”, you can probably infer what this new hands-free device from Iqua Ltd, of Espoo, Finland, looks like (even if we didn’t have a big photo right here). Perfect for the small office, the portable Bluetooth product promises easy wireless call management and allows you to make conference calls or talk one-on-one. Other features include a clock, alarm, caller id, phone book, and low-battery warning. It also supports VoIP calls. Should be available by end of year. No price yet.
Iquo Bluetooth Handsfree UFO [New Launches]
Jumping Beans from Bean Daddy November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
I love Mexican jumping beans. They’re a bit cruel—capturing a growing larva and making it dance could be bad for your karma—but they’re so cool. What is not so cool is the freakish face on this website that stares you down and offers advice. If I wanted THAT in a website, I’d visit my parents more.
Anyway, the short of it is this: jumping beans are now available on the Internet. $15.95 gets you some sort of family fun pack that lets your beans compete with each other on the gridiron. Hot? I think so, dude. I think so.
Product Page [MyPetBeans]
New Boom Chair Nothing New November 8, 2005
READ MORE Home Entertainment
This is the time of year when we start getting press releases about all the “new” things being shown at CES that are the same things that were shown last year — but with a new skin. Take the Boom Chair, for instance. This is a loungy-looking chair that moves and shakes you around, according to the audio input you’ve got it hooked up to. It works with game systems, of course, but you can also connect it to your home theatre system or MP3 player. This chair was shown at CES last year. What’s new about it? Fabulous redesigned upholstery and a magazine rack on the side for whatever reading material you need to have on hand. Plus, it now has a rounded bottom, so it is a truly rocking chair (get it?). The Boom Cube has storage space inside for a console, and holes for the wires to come out of — just in case you didn’t already have enough wires running across your living room floor. And the Cube rumbles too, because what good is the chair rumbling if you can’t feel it on the soles of your feet? Products like this one get me all excited for another year of CES!
Boom Chair 2.0 [Product Page]
Fashionable Computer Not Too Stylish November 8, 2005
READ MORE Mobile phones
I call it kind of ugly, though AVing likes to call it a UFC (Ubiquitous Fashionable Computer). Still others may put it in the wearable computer box, but this new product was being shown off by KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) at the SoC 2005 & New Generation PC fair. Featuring a Head Mounted Display (HMD), a wrist keyboard and VR glove, you’ll be able to do your computing just about anywhere by using a throwing motion to transfer and exchange music files, video clips or even word documents. Not much more info than that, but it sure does look…interesting.
The Korean Ubiquitous Fashionable Computer [i4u]
Philips amBX Light for Gaming November 8, 2005
READ MORE Home Entertainment
Philips announced its latest endeavor into home entertainment lighting today: amBX interactive gaming lighting. If you recall, or watch commercials at all, you will see the Ambientlight technology Philips currently has available in some models of televisions — this is the exact same thing, but for games. The technology should become available in May of 2006 and Phillips has been in talks with some game manufacturers to get this amBX technology integrated into future games. I got a chuckle out of the press release, and how they describe amBX:
Imagine the room of the future, where all electronic devices are amBX-enabled. The treacherous road to Saigon will turn your room jungle green, swimming with dolphins will splash it deep blue, ‘Halo’ jumps will turn your fans on full, lightning storms will strobe your white lighting, and attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion will blast on your heaters.
I don’t know about you, but the last time I played a dolphin game, it was Ecco for the Genesis, and I’m pretty sure I disowned my parents for buying me such crap.
Press Release [Via Red Ferret]
SUMICOM Micro Form Factor Car PC November 8, 2005
READ MORE PC
Putting entire computers into cars is the next evolutionary step beyond stereos that sound like concussion grenades. It started with the versatile Mac Mini. But for those of us who aren’t that Mac savvy, there are some micro form PCs that could fit cozily into any crappy Honda. These SUMICOM’s have some nice car-oriented features, like a function that turns the PC on and off with the car ignition. The machines are IBM based, feature Pentium M or Celeron processors, low power consumption, 2.5-inch hard drives and is 6.1 inches wide by 10 inches deep and 2.17 inches tall.
Pocket PC, SUMICOM [Akihabara]
CD Copying Without The PC November 8, 2005
READ MORE Digital Audio , Gadgets , Peripherals , Portable Media
Next time you're in the record store and you ask for a quick listen to a CD you're thinking of buying, you'll want one of these. Slot in the CD, listen, nod your head appreciatively and scratch your chin to indicate a state of serious shopping crisis: "will I, won't I"? But, and get this, all the while your cunning plan has been at work as your CD player is none other than the DupliCase CD-RW drive from PikaOne.Yes, the slack-jawed shop assistant has been aiding you in your audio crime spree of copying CDs on the move.I'm going to be rich, RICH, I tell you!! And there's no way of being caught. Unless of course he sees you unplugging the unit. Yeah, we know, bummer. It doesn't run on batteries, you see. Damn, just wasted £145 and got arrested. Crime doesn't pay, kiddies, so just say 'No'.
The Radiation Watch November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
For that next family holiday to Chernobyl you’re probably going to need some protection, and I’m not talking sun cream, factor 10,000. Forget funky yellow, all-in-one body suits and helmets. No, you need a special watch. The PM1208 Wrist Gamma Indicator, for instance. This timepiece sports an in-built Geiger-Muller tube that will sound an alarm whenever radiation is near. According to the manufacturer:
* Monitors gamma radiation level 24 hours-a-day.
* Measures the ambient dose and dose rate continuously.
* Alerts users to hazardous situations through an audible alarm.
And yes, it has a backlight so that it “glows in the dark” when you wake up screaming from your nuclear wasteland dreams scrabbling around for your protective tinfoil hat. To keep your inner glow from becoming your outer glow, expect to shell out £190. Ominously, they recommend it for frequent flyers to monitor radiation on journeys. Radiation? Goddammit, what radiation? What do they know?
Clear The Foul Air With USB Air Freshener November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
Next time you’re cutting the cheese hardcore at the kitchen table while working on the big report, at least try to cover up the smell. Save your word document and plug in this sucker: The USB Aroma Generator from Thanko. Choose one out of three different scents for you to suck in through your nostrils and control it via your PC. We all know this has to be worth every penny if it’s taking up a whole USB port right? No word yet on what scents it comes with until you buy it… oooh mysterious. Will it be old socks or eau de poo? I can’t wait. $69.00 if you stink a lot and need something like this.
3 different aromas from your USB [Popgadget]
Gizmodo Arts and Crafts Hour November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
Tired of all those ugly cables snaking behind your entertainment system? Try turning that electrical octopus into BLESS cable jewelry. This is a kit that comes with all kinds of fashionable accouterments to turn your schmutz into gold pretty jewelry. It comes with materials like crystals, fur, pearls, lace and wooden cubes. If only the Dead were still touring, man, I could sell these from a dirty Mexican blanket in the parking lot and get real paid.
Cable Jewelry [Sensory Impact]
TileToy - Electronic, Open-Source Fun November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
Are you a geek with a cubicle who needs a little something to keep your mind off work since you’ve been coding in C# for the past six-hours? Of course you are, and you demand your toys be open-source like your code. That’s why the TileToy is here. TileToy is an open-source game consisting of blocks with LEDs embedded inside of them. What makes it open source? The code, for one thing. And you pretty much have to make the game up too. From the press release:
“The re-programmable and constantly updated graphical information on each tile is displayed with a LED matrix system. The screen displaying the information is an endlessly versatile surface for updated visual communication”
People who are big on mathematics could have a fun time arranging random equations with these, or using the LEDs to create greek symbols and then spell things that the Man can’t possibly decipher. The possibilities are endless. No word yet on how much it will cost or when it will be widely available.
Product Page [via Boing Boing]
Samsung P300 is Really, Really Thin November 8, 2005
READ MORE Mobile phones
The new Samsung SGH P300 is extremely thin at just 87x54x8.9mm, but doesn’t lose any functionality. A triband GSM/GPRS phone with 1.3 megapixel camera, it also has 80MB of memory for music, images and video and 4MB for Java applications. Other features include a WAP 2.0 browser, Bluetooth, voice memos, calendar, alarm clock and calculator.
The ultrathin P300 di Samsung [Mobile by Cellularmania]
North Face To World: Our Jackets are Cool but Our Tents are Hot, Hot, Hot November 8, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
The North Face means a lot to me. On weekends here in Philadelphia when I walk up to University City to UPenn and Drexel, I see every kid around me (including myself) wearing a North Face “Denali” or some other kind of North Face coat. We wear them because of one reason: They keep you warm. Real warm. So when people climb mountains and hike ridiculous distances in the cold, they think back to The North Face. The 2 Meter Dome is a North Face tent designed for extreme adventuring when being protected from the elements is a must. It fits 8 people comfortably and looks cool. The price of looking cool on base camp doesn’t come cheap though. Expect to shell out $5,000 for this sucker.
2 Meter Dome [The Cool Hunter]
Robby the Robot-For Real November 8, 2005
READ MORE Robots
What’s better than a replica of Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet? A life-size fully animatronic, remote-controlled replica of Robby the Robot, of course. Only available from luxury goods purveyor Hammacher Schlemmer, this bot is made by the same artist who restored the original after it was sold to the Southern California prop museum in 1970. Preprogrammed to speak lines from the movie, you can also project your own voice through the robot’s sound system using an included wireless microphone. One thing it won’t do is walk, however, so if $50,000 is too much for a sedentary, seven-foot robot, this may not be the Robby for you.
Remote-Controlled Robby the Robot from Film Forbidden Planet (1956) [GadgetMadness]
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