USB Mini HDD - So Shiny! November 9, 2005
READ MORE Storage
This is the Monstor (not a typo, just stupid marketing) drive from US Modular. It is a mini hard drive that comes in 2, 4, or 6 gigabytes capacities. The nice thing is that it is fairly cheap for an item of its caliber. The base 2GB model will begin at $99 and go up depending on what size. It is fully powered by USB, spins at 4200rpms and can transfer upwards of 99.6Mbit/s. Best of all, this thing is shiny, so it’s great for doing lines. It should be shipping in December.
US Modular Stainless Steel Mini HDD [Bios]
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SanDisk Cruzer Profile - Security++ November 9, 2005
READ MORE Storage
Listen Ms. Sally Citizen, I honestly doubt that anyone in their right mind wants to steal your hundreds of cat pictures and cheesy animated gifs from your USB flash drive, but I guess I can understand your concern. So here you go, protect all of that stupid crap on your USB flash drive with the Cruzer Profile. It uses fingerprint protection and can also restrict access to read-only, prevent access entirely or just prevent copying of data. It is available in 512MB and 1GB models with prices starting at $80.
Sandisk promotes fingerprint protected “Cruzer profile” [PhoneyWorld]
Dutch Goverment Testing Disaster SMS November 9, 2005
READ MORE Mobile phones
After the stint of natural (and unnatural) disasters around the globe this year, wouldn’t you like to be instantly alerted to any emergency happening near your home? To help with this, and make sure people who may not be near a TV or radio could still get danger warnings, the Dutch government has decided to do a test with mobile phone messaging. Using what is called Cell Broadcast, GSM technology will send out a cell phone message, letting people know what’s going on.
If something happens in the center of The Hague, for example, we can select communication points from telecom companies and everyone who is within a few 100 meters can get the information.
This will be used in concurence with other emergency tactics, like plain old sirens and special emergency broadcasts. Right now, the trial is taking place in Zoetermeer and will soon go to Amsterdam and the south-west of Holland. Mobile operators KPN, Vodaphone and Telfort are all helping with the trial.
Dutch trial SMS disaster alert system [CNN]
Wi-Light: Underwater Mood Spheres November 9, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
This is a new lighting concept from Batti and Brion Experimental, creators of the Placentero chair. The three spheres sit in the base, and those three buttons correspond to RGB colors. By manipulating the buttons, the spheres change color to produce whatever illumination you are in the mood for. Then you take the mood spheres, put them in the bathtub or swimming pool (submersible, yep), throw on some Brian Eno, and space out.
W.I. - Wireless Illumination - a mood light by Batti [Trendir]
Nintendogs Plush Toy LCD Cleaner November 9, 2005
READ MORE Peripherals
Nintendogs addicts know that the black lab is the hardest dog to find in the game. I recently got a call from a Nintendo publicist who was searching for someone who had a black lab, because they don’t know which cartridges have the rare breed loaded on them. (For the uninitiated, each Nintendogs cartridge comes with only a few breeds of dog — so you gotta get ‘em all, as they say.) It’s obvious that the folks who created this 5-inch tall plush toy really know their stuff. Do you see a German Shepherd plush toy? No you do not. But they do sell the pug, dachshund and Shiba Inu. The thing around its neck is an LCD cleaner, perfect for wiping spittle off the DS screen after a long game of “roll over.” $18.95.
Nintendogs Black Lab Plush with LCD Cleaner [Product Page via Popgadget]
Majestouch: Pimp Keyboard November 9, 2005
READ MORE Peripherals
The keyboard is one of the most overlooked parts of our computers. A good keyboard can make the difference between the effortless, precise typing of shakespearian-quality prose, or the jarred, repeated-bashing-of-sticky-key OOPS PUT CAPS LOCK ON AGAIN ROFL!!1 drunkenly-typed ramblings of a person with anvils for hands.
The keyboard is also the portal to your computer and is an expression in itself of the kind of computer user you are. For example, a standard, beige keyboard might mean you are a regular sort of easily-pleased person — the kind of individual who is quite satisfied with anything as long as it does it’s job. The kind of individual who, in the bedroom, operates on a strict 1:5 ratio in terms of time allocated to foreplay and actual intercourse.
There are all sorts of keyboards for all sorts of users — “gaming” keyboards for gamers, ergonomic keyboards for usability nerds, das keyboard for the hacker elite, etc. This keyboard however, has been created for a user base which I can only think to describe as “TOTALLY PIMP.” Diatec’s “Majestouch” keyboard features a brushed aluminium face with an extended bottom lip, creating a unique look for any TOTALLY PIMP user’s workstation. Blue LED lights add a nice touch to what is an undeniably sexy peripheral. Not sure how ergonomic that cold, hard aluminium would feel on your palms as you type though, but TOTALLY PIMP users probably care not about such things.
Yours at the bargain price of 23’800-yen (approx. US$200)
Diatec Metal Keyboard [Product Page]
Nano Lawsuit Goes Global November 9, 2005
READ MORE Portable Media
By now, I’m sure everyone has heard about the lawsuit against Apple for the easy-to-scratch-up Nano Nano Class Action Lawsuit - It SKWATCHES Too Much! but now it ain’t just the good ole’ US of A leveling these malicious rumours. Looks like Nano buyers from the UK and Mexico have put their two cents in and are also suing Apple over the defective screens, which the company claimed was just in
"a small batch of Nanos, but denied that it was more likely to scratch than other iPods."
Sounds good, but the international complaints seem to point to a further
“Apple’s iPod Nano has sold in record numbers around the world, just as it did in the US,” said Steve Berman, lead lawyer on both cases.
“The far-reaching response also reveals that this is not just a small problem or a bad batch of Nanos, but a defect in the overall design that should have been rectified prior to the release,” he said.
Way to get your name in the news twice Berman! Per usual, no comment from Apple on the litigation. They’re busy suing bloggers.
Nano lawsuit goes international [vnunet.com]
Say it, but don't November 9, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
Ever had something that you really, really wanted to say? And is it difficult to get peoples attention so that you can say what you want?
Lightalk will now let you make an impact without saying a word. Simply write your message down on a piece of paper, and the Lightalk will scan your message and flash it right up on a wall/ceiling/persons forehead, even in mid-air using a special LED light scanner.
So go ahead and think of the rudest message that you possibly can, and you can flash it anywhere you want. All it needs is imagination and batteries. Batteries are included, imagination you'll have to get yourself.
At £39.99, talk is cheap. Get it here.
Frisk MP3 Player November 9, 2005
READ MORE Portable Media
If you’re tired of plain old MP3 players that actually look like MP3 players, Japanese brand Frisk mints are handing out 1000 players that look like a box of candy. It’s got 256MB of storage, an FM-tuner, an OLED display, and a USB port. The buttons are recessed and cleverly hidden so it looks like a real mint box. It measures 3x1.3x.5 inches and to get one, it looks like you have to send in barcodes from the actual candy boxes.
A walkman MP3 signed Frisk! [generation mp3]
Briano Eno Selling Gear, Going Digital November 9, 2005
Briano Eno is selling the DX-7 he used to create the Microsoft startup sound and other, more amazing, compositions. He’s also auctioning a Prophet VS, Jellinghaus DX-7 Programmer and two Mackie Mixers. The auctions are taking place at Vemia, a terribly designed site that is an eBay alternative for musicians. Why is Eno selling his gear? A Sound on Sound article last month had this:
"Despite his reservations about computer recording, Eno has now decided to go further into the computer only world and sell his studio…"
That’s right, from electronic to digital — Ambient 5: Music for Computers anyone?
Brian Eno is Selling Lots of Gear [Music Thing]
NanoLens: Cameraphone Savior? November 9, 2005
When the cameraphone first appeared, there was joy throughout the land. Handset shutterbugs dreamed of taking Ansel Adams-like photos without having to drag cameras to high mountaintops. And then there was a collective sigh of defeat. Because, as we all learned in one instance or another, these cameras don’t actually take photos. Instead, they render amateur abstract expressionism. But one company is out to restore our faith by making a lens that will make cameraphone pictures usable in the real world. Johnson Electric is that company. It has introduced the NanoLens, a new motion technology that promises to auto-focus cameras in phones. On display in Hong Kong to manufacturers this month, we hope to see it in products as early as next year. Thank you, Johnson. Thank you.
New technology from Johnson Electric promises better pics [Mobilemag]
DIY Rumble Mouse November 9, 2005
Having force feedback or vibration is never a bad this right? Earlier today we mentioned the Laos Japan Vibrating Mouse, well it seems those crafty Japanese aren’t the first to come up with this concept. Commenter leadingzero made himself a similar gadget using one of the rumble packs from the Nintendo 64. Check out the fairly simple tutorial if you ever wanted to add a little vibration to your late night “mousing.”
Rumble Mouse [zerosign]
Sony to block used games shocker November 9, 2005
READ MORE Consoles , Gadgets , Games , Home Entertainment , Portable Media
So, what’s sneaky Sony planning now? After causing much knickers-twisting in PC/music circles with its DRM rootkit, it seems Sony has just filed an “interesting” patent. This one refers to a disk technology that will prevent the use of pirated and, believe it or not, used software. OK, now this is still a rumour but, you know, smoke–fire etc. The patent, essentially, could tie games to a particular console. This means, theoretically, once you play your expensive PS3 game it would be tied to your console so no swapping with mates, no buying secondhand games or renting them, for that matter. Obviously, if true, there’s no way that it would be implemented with the PS3 since it would spell commercial suicide. As Sony proved with its music rootkit it is capable of being both underhanded and unfair, but does that make it stupid? We don’t think so, no matter how determined Sony is right now at becoming the most hated company in the gaming/music world. Good work, Sony.
More [Joystiq]
Matrox VGA Y-Splitter November 9, 2005
Tuesday Matrox announced a peripheral that can take a single VGA input and split it out to two monitors. With all of the latest and greatest PC video cards already having dual-monitor supports, this product is probably aimed more towards the laptop user. The DualHead2Go actually is pretty cool. Instead of just cloning the image twice, the splitter tricks your computer into thinking an extremely widescreen monitor is plugged in. This could be really useful in multi-projector presentations via laptop or dual-screen pR0N/FPS marathons. The DualHead2Go will run around £100 and should be shipping soon.
Matrox Box Splits One Monitor Into Two [Extremetech]
Nikon Battery Blunders November 9, 2005
Nikon announced a voluntary recall of nearly 200,000 batteries for three models of their digital SLR cameras. The three models affected at the D100, D70 and the D50. The batteries are being recalled because they could potentially short circuit causing fiery explosions and deaths to millions of cute kitties and puppies—actually the battery could possibly ignite and melt. But please: think of the kitties and puppies if you own a Nikon DSLR.
Consumer Product Safe Commission Recall Notice [Via DesignTechnica]
Farewell sweet Grokster, we used you well November 9, 2005
READ MORE Online
File sharing champion Grokster has been forced to admit that it’s service was illegal. The rest of us knew that but that didn’t stop us using it – such is the nature of us generous Web-surfers willing to share their belongings for free with our fellow human beings. Or pirates, as we prefer to be labeled. The admission has cost Grokster $50m in damages and the closure of its service. The entertainment industry is still popping champagne corks. Grokster has said it will be back with a legal file-sharing service in the next few months but, frankly, who cares? Will it stop illegal file sharing? No. Will it stop individuals with the Grokster software continuing to share files from hard drive-to-hard drive? No. Will it stop me asking rhetorical questions, now? Well, OK.
internet technology grokster file
iPod Nano and Scratches – Have Your Say November 9, 2005
READ MORE Digital Audio , Gadgets , Home Entertainment , Portable Media
Is Apple going to be screwed over the iPod nano’s shoddy workmanship? Alleged shoddy workmanship, that is. Some would say the furore is nothing but nitpicking about a fabulous piece of electronics design. Others claim that Apple scrimped on the thickness of the resin coating to keep the weight down, resulting in a defective product that looks like it’s gone 10 rounds with the local alley cat after just a couple of days use. We’ve had some great feedback on our original story Scratch-tastic iPod nano going to court - see just some of it below. Now that the first consumer lawsuits from the UK and Mexico have kicked off, mirroring those in the US, this looks like it’s going to run and run. Apple might say that it affects only a tenth of one per cent of nanos only but let’s see what you, the punters, think. Have a nano? Feel happy? Feel shat on? Have your say. Send your comments in now.
“It breaks when you even press the 'on' button!!!”
“Yah I've had my nano for a week now and it's scratched to shit. My wife gave me shit for not taking care of it, but I've only had it in my pocket with nothing else. Another note is I listen to it for 8 hours a day and its battery life is already sucking.”
“I luv it. It’s awesome. Don’t care bout scratches.”
“I'd be more concerned about snapping it, than scratching it.”
“Worst ever”.
LG Java Phone To Bridge PC and Cellphone November 9, 2005
READ MORE Mobile phones
LG hits the mark again with the world’s first Java-based smartphone. Leaving Microsoft Windows and Symbian to rot, the Korean company believes using Java for all the phone’s functions (including the user interface) is a great way to speed up cross-device convergence, eventually letting you download Java-based applications directly from your computer to your mobile phone. The phone itself is GSM/GPRS and has a 1-megapixel camera.
LG develops Java based Smart phone [Phoneyworld]
Taser Cam To Help With Stun Gun Accountability November 9, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
Since June 2001, Amnesty International has compiled a list of over 100 people who have died after being shocked with 50,000 volts by a Taser stun gun used by a law enforcement agent. Obviously, these numbers don’t help the company’s sales or the good name of your friendly police officers. So to make sure the guns are used for the right reasons and to hold the user accountable for their actions, Taser has developed a Taser Cam, which will attach to the butt of the gun and record audio and video of whenever it’s used. The Taser cam starts running as soon as the gun is turned on and will keep recording until it’s turned off, so we won’t miss a thing. It also faces where the gun is pointing for real accuracy. Of course, it doesn’t come standard with the gun, so the camera will have to be purchased separately for $400. In October, rival stun gun company Stinger Systems, Inc also announced a gun that can be fitted with an audio-video recorder, selling for only $200 extra, though they won’t say who, if anyone, has purchased the weapons.
Taser to offer stun gun cameras [CNN]
DreamTime LED Clock November 9, 2005
READ MORE Gadgets
Whoa, this DreamTime LED clock is psychedelic. When you touch it, it’ll tell you the time via a series of chimes. And when idle, the semi-transparent pyramid will glow a myriad of colors (thanks to built-in LEDs and an integrated circuitboard). It can also be set to chime every half/whole hour, and has two sleep modes available. Plus, the chimes and lights interact with each other. Electro-tastic!
It requires three AA batteries for memory back-up, and comes with the AC adapter. Price is $39.99 and available at ThinkGeek.
DreamTime LED Clock [ThinkGeek]
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