Harman Kardon's iPod Bridge: Same 'ole Crap August 28, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
This is the iPod Bridge made by iPod accessory extraordinaire, Harman Kardon. It is really the same as every other home audio dock controller out there but worse, because it limits you to compatibility with only Harman Kardon audio equipment. "The Bridge" allows you to use your existing Harman Kardon remote—they must assume everyone buys their overpriced audio equipment—to control the iPod from across the room. It can display the iPod GUI on the receiver display or on the television screen itself. Woohoo! The unit is compatible with Harman Kardon's AVR 140, 240, 340 and 740 receivers. It will set you back 40 bones, which is pretty reasonable considering brand name markup.
Harman Kardon's iPod Bridge [Coolest-Gadgets]
|
|
iGallop Horse Riding Simulator and Exercise Device Now in the U.S. August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Hold your horses, cowboys, for the iGallop from OSIM has reached this Land of Milk and Honey. Yes, the iGallop, the exercise device that sort of simulates riding on a horse, has been spotted in the U.S. recently, and if all the videos Youtube mean anything, we're in for some good clean fun.
It works by having the user try to maintain balance while it rocks you back and forth, exercising your thigh muscles, abs, back and legs. It's just like going to an actual gym to work out, but now you get to embarrass yourself in all by your lonesome.
You can grab the iGallop online for around $600. – Nicholas Deleon
Product Page [OSIM via Popgadget [Popgadget]
UPlus 2, the World's Smallest Cellphone Charger (Maybe) August 28, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Straight out of Korea comes the UPlus 2, a USB cellphone charger from NewQ that is supposedly the world's smallest, but manufacturers like to claim that their product is the world's first/biggest/fastest etc. all the time. It is hard to imagine anything smaller than this, however. The charger is small enough to be carried with you everywhere you go (yay!) and also doubles as a USB file transfer device, letting you offload images and or media stored on a cellphone.
While no release date nor price has been announced, NewQ expects to release an updated model that is compatible with 19-pin and 17-pin products soon enough. The Danes call it quality.
Portable cell phone charger and cell phone accessory [Aving.net via New Launches]
i-rocks RF-6570 Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Has 8,388,608 Channels and Nothing On August 28, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
There are so many cordless devices hanging around these days, they can interfere with each other, but not the i-rocks RF-6570 Wireless Keyboard and Optical Mouse Combo. That's because it's using a 2.4GHz wireless link with four automatically-selected frequencies. Using FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) technology, it's actually able to detect if other devices are using a particular frequency and ID, and if so, politely stays out of the way. Besides that wireless wizardry, we're also digging the keyboard's enlarged enter key, and the way the mouse's scroll wheel glows red when batteries are low.
We've seen a few i-rocks products before, such as the back-lit X-Slim Mac keyboard, and like their clean and simple design. Plus, this RF technology has over 8,388,608 unique IDs, ensuring that it won't clash with your other gear. Might be great for controlling a home theater PC.
Product Page [i-rocks, via uber gizmo]
SkyTone RST102 USB Phone Reviewed (Verdict: Fo' Real) August 28, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
Skype continues its march to take over the world, and all sorts of phone manufacturers are rushing into lubricate the transition, one of them being Radiant Technologies with its SkyTone RST102 USB Phone. It's specifically designed for Skype, and was reviewed on ZDNet with a conditional thumbs-up.
Like many of us, the ZDNet reviewer is accustomed to using headsets with Skype, but says less geeky types will love its telephone-like look and feel. From here, what we like is the way you plug it in and it just works. Best of all, the reviewer described its sound quality as being somewhere between "sounds just fine" to "crystal clear."
Now if Skype's network quality would just get a bit more consistent, the potential POTS-killing phone service along with this little USB phone might find a bigger niche.
New toys - USB Skype phone [ZDNet, via CrunchGear]
Nokia Year 2015 Cellphone Design Contest Winner Video August 28, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
This concept cellphone was lionized back in June , but now we have a video of it in action.
To recap, Nokia held a contest where designers were to come up with a cellphone that would "hit" the market in 2015, making it a 4G or 5G cellphone. The winning design, by Daniel Meyer of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, envisions a cellphone that doubles as a mouse (kind of like this) and, as seen in the video, easily transform into a "piece of furniture." It looks just like a docked iPod to me, but I don't have any fancy degrees in design or anything.
Video of Nokia's Super Sexy Concept Phone [Slashgear]
University of Texas Installs Ron Jeremy Sized HDTV August 28, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
The University of Texas has recently finished installation of a $8 million HDTV that measures 134 feet wide and 55 feet tall at the UT football stadium. This thing is so damn big that the university has to upgrade the utilities throughout the stadium to accommodate the power, also they installed 40 5-ton air conditioner units to cool the behemoth.
It is a good thing that they installed this HDTV. People go to college to watch football, right? Education, schmeducation.
Texas Has Too Damn Much Money [Deadspin]
The Pikasso 42-String Guitar Even Intimidates Jimmy Page August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Double neck guitars are old hat, so make way for the Pikasso, a 42-sting guitar that was borne out of a challenge to make a guitar with "as many strings as possible." The guitar has four necks and two sound holes, plus enough pizzaz to wow even the most "woe-is-me" emo kid on the block. Interestingly, the guitar makes use of a design element called "the wedge," which tapers the size of the guitar so that it's thinnest where it presses up against the guitarist's body. This gives the guitarist a better look at the fret board so he knows what he's doing. I'm sure that once you've gotten the hang of playing a 42-stinged, four-necked guitar you can probably pick and a play your counterfeit Les Paul like a pro.
The Pikasso, which took two years, or some 1,000 man-hours to build, can actually be heard on a number of recordings by Pat Metheny. Apparently, he's pretty good.
Don't expect to see this at your local Guitar World, though.
Product Page [Manzer via The Red Ferret Journal]
Robot Pencil Sharpener, Prancing Around the Desk, Tempting Fate August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Just in time for back-to-school, here's a windup robot pencil sharpener where the simple action of sharpening your pencil revs up the little guy, inspiring him to take a quick walk around the desk before that cranky schoolmarm beatch catches you. Hopefully it's not too noisy; you might just get away with this for a while. Available in a variety of designs, it's $6.50.
Product Page [Hawkin's Bazaar, via OhGizmo]
Keyspan's Entry Level Cordless VoIP Phone August 28, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
Keyspan's launching a cordless VoIP phone that works with both PCs and Macs that lets you enjoy the wonders of Skype all over the home and office (as if you couldn't before). Unlike recent, fancier Skype phones, Keyspan's doesn't feature Wi-Fi, so you can't just walk up to your local hot spot and start chatting.
The phone does support all the features that make Skype popular with the kids, including PC-to-PC calling and PC-to-Phone calling. With a talk time of 15 hours (and 1,200 hours in standby mode), you'll probably be able to go a few days without having to recharge the thing.
This rather bare-bones VoIP phone is powered by AAA batteries, but it's relatively low price—$79 from Keyspan's Web site—should dull the pain somewhat.
Product Page [Keyspan via Slashphone]
Logitech Z-10 Interactive 2.0 Speaker System: Control Tunes from the Speakers August 28, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Logitech rolled out its Z-10 Interactive 2.0 Speaker System, a pair of USB noisemakers with touch-sensitive controls on a polished acrylic front display. The helpful amber LCD window shows you track info from iTunes, Windows Media Player, WinAmp or MusicMatch, and also gives you transport control over your tunes as well as letting you regulate volume, treble and bass. Heck, the thing will even tell you what time it is.
The bi-amped speakers are 9.7 inches tall, and from what we can see this looks like it could be a winning package. Logitech ships the Z-10 system in September, bringing all this touchscreen and bi-amped juju to you for $150.
Logitech Introduces Z-10 Interactive 2.0 Speaker System [Geekzone]
Sony DVM85HD 85-Minute MiniDV Cassette: 22 More Minutes of Vid-Goodness August 28, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Trying to make the world forget about its exploding laptop batteries, Sony releases its latest earth-shattering innovation, extending the maximum length of a DV tape to 85 minutes. These MiniDV cassettes work with both standard-definition DV gear and the latest HDV high-definition camcorders and decks, letting you shoot 22 extra minutes of video hijinks onto a single tape.
No word on how Sony has managed to pack the extra minutes' worth of tape into these MiniDV cassettes, but we're thinking perhaps the tape itself might be a bit thinner. But honestly, this whole tape thing is getting old; we would prefer solid-state everything. Let's just hope that camcorder battery doesn't catch on fire—a lot can happen in 22 minutes.
Why the longer tape, anyway? Well, longer is better for sure, and maybe Sony is remembering one reason why it lost the Betamax vs. VHS battle: its Betamax machines could only record five hours to VHS's six.
Sony announces 85 minute Mini-DV cassette [Newlaunches]
Simple Image-Based PSP Exploit For 2.0-2.8 Firmware Released August 28, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
The previously unhackable Sony PSP (firmware versions higher than 2.71, that is) has been cracked, this time, with the aid of a buffer overflow in the PSP's libTIFF image libraries. Technical mumbo jumbo aside, this exploit lets users of the Sony handheld run unsigned, homebrew software, which certainly can't be a code word for anything else.
The first homebrew application to take advantage of the libTIFF buffer overflow is a simple "Hello World" application: just load up the affected image file, attempt to view it and voilà—Hello World fun and fancy free.
Right now, only this "Hello World" application takes advantage of the libTIFF exploit, but it's probably only a matter of time until more, let's say practical uses are discovered.
2-0-2-80-Firmware-PSP-s-Say-Hello-World-as-New-Exploit-is-Found [QJ.NET - PSP Updates]
Brando 52-in-1 Bluetooth Card Reader: All That, And Disco Lighting, Too August 28, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Sure, flash card readers are a dime a dozen, but this USB Bluetooth Card Reader from Brando is a 52-in-1 polyglot that functions as a Bluetooth dongle at the same time. Looking at the list of memory cards the reader supports is just mind-boggling, including just about every flash memory card format ever invented.
If that's not enough for you, check out its disco lighting, using color-changing LEDs that Brando calls "multi-moody colors" indicating that the power is on. Hopefully, this can be turned off. Check out the lengthy and rather entertaining list of supported memory cards after the jump.
Product Page [Brando]
First Look at Chumby: the Huggable, Hackable Information Device August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Chumby is an information device that, given its developer-approved hackable nature, is destined to become the Furby or Tickle Me Elmo of the gadget/geek world when it's released en masse in March 2007. The Chumby doesn't look like much when first plugged, but after registering it on Chumby Industries' Web site, the possibilities are seemingly endless, thanks to widgets. Nothing more than mini-programs, Chumby's widgets let you use the little device just the way you want: load up the appropriate widget, and the Wi-Fi-enabled Chumby taps into your Flickr account, displaying your terrific pictures on its 3.5-inch touch screen. Or, why not have it display the latest Google News—nay,Gizmodo!—headlines?
Given the open nature of the Chumby, it's trivial to load up a USB thumb drive full of MP3s and have a custom-made MP3 widget. It'll even play Divx (and presumably the more popular Xvid) files, though the screen's resolution is only 320x240.
Basically, Chumby has the possibility to be whatever your sordid little mind wants it to be, which is simultaneously frightening and wonderfully forward-looking. If all goes according to plan, it should be widely available for around $150 in March 2007.
Chumby Home Page [Chumby Industries via Crunch Gear]
Radius 320 Seamless Display: Look Ma, No Borders August 28, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Our interest was piqued early this year when we saw the Zenview Command Center Elite with its six 24-inch Samsung LCD panels strapped together, but now here's something to top that: the Radius 320 seamless LCD display from Seamless Display Ltd., whose 50-inch diagonal screen appears to be somehow lacking those unsightly bezels and cracks between panels.
These blokes from Oxford claim to have optically erased those distracting borders between displays by using a specially-designed lens wedged between each panel. It doesn't require any special drivers, but you'll need a couple of video cards with a total of three DVI outputs with 1600x1200 resolution to get this baby going. Sure looks nice in the illustration, but we'd like to see one close-up before we get too excited. The company wasn't announcing pricing, but says the Radius 320 is now available for order.
Product page [Seamless Display Ltd., via Born Rich]
First Palm Treo 750 Picture August 28, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
Lately Palm has been making some fairly incremental updates to its Treo line, so we're excited at the prospect of the 750. Behold, the first decent leaked Treo 750 picture. It's a crappy picture probably taken on a cellphone, so it must be real! We won't point out the new blue case like some other blogs, but we will mention it looks like there is no exterior antenna and the black and white button coloring has been reversed. This just in: In the future, black becomes white and white becomes black. Sweet.
[via everythingtreo]
BFG Replica: The 'B' Ain't For Bacon August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Not the kind of guy who collects Highlander Edition swords? Neither are we. But this...this is no regular collectible. This gun is Art.
We're talking about the BFG from DOOM/Quake 2/Quake 3 Arena. People still want to know, how did the name evolve from "Big Force Gun" to "Big F*&#ing Gun"? It's all part of our theory of 'F' Darwinism. Any instance where acronyms contain the letter 'F' will eventually represent the word "fuck". It's only a matter of time, but worry not because it's a good thing. Just consider the common acronyms "FYI" and "TGIF". We're all in for quite a bit of fun, along with this great conversation piece.
Product Page [via coolestgadgets]
Why I Shouldn't Have Named My iPod "Unicorn Princess" August 28, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
If America isn't about the small startup company, then it's about fast food and monster trucks. We're going with small startup. IpodNames.com is a new site where you can register the name of your iPod for a dollar, along with its location and music preference.
For instance, my iPod is named Unicorn Princess. She's a feisty Virgo from Chicago who enjoys rocking out to soft country rock and Beethoven's Greatest Hits. Once in a while she'll relax in a tub with some smooth jazz, munching on bonbons while crying about the ticking time bomb that is her biological clock. All she really wants is a Nano - or even a Shuffle to call her own. Look, I just don't want kids....not right now. They are just too much responsibility and I really want to hit up Rome and Tokyo without the screaming strollers and formula, ok? And let's face it; neither of us are going to want a Nano five years from now. There, I said it. It's out there and we both have to deal with it.
iPodNames
LG LCD: 2D or 3D August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Home Entertainment , TV
We only know what we can see, and that's 3D - on a 2D screen in no way intended to view 3D. LG just demoed their prototype 42-inch HD LCD with switchable 2D/3D viewing at IMID (the annual display party that is turning out to be pretty cool this year). That's all we know. Check out more pictures and bland commentary after the jump.
Aytobe GPS - It's Danish and Cheap August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Yes, we are obsessed with the price drops going on in the GPS world. Dangaard Telecom just released the Aytobe PND (personal navigation device) in Europe. It's a PND/nav sat/whatever that is powered by the SiRFStar III - the new badboy GPS chip allowing routes to be calculated much quicker than in previous gen GPS systems.
Other than that, the stats look fairly standard: 300mhz, 64mb internal storage, USB 1.1 (ick), 2gb SD support, Windows CE interface (not sure of functionality), infrared remote and possibly a touch screen (we are reading translation from a Danish company). But, at 250 Euros including tax, the Aytobe may give TomTom a run for their money. We'll see if it ever comes stateside.
Original Story [traslation via navigadget]
Aurora Rocket Clock: Radioactive Glow...so beautiful...arm melting August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Most alarm clocks function under the mantra that you can sleep better when you don't need to worry about waking up. The Aurora Rocket Clock works under the mantra: you don't have to worry about waking up if you never go to sleep.
The 25cm clock can glow in 12 different, eye-opening colours that can be programmed to change on the hour or shift sequentially. If you really enjoy the Seinfeld episode when they open the Kenny Roger's Roaster outside of Kramer's room, this may be the clock for you. If you sleep butt-naked and would like to tan in your sleep, this might be the clock for you. And yes, the glow can be turned off completely, but then we don't have much to make fun of.
Product Page [via popgadget]
Sony PS3: Saving The World For Real This Time August 28, 2006
READ MORE Consoles
Our early-rising, slightly less hungover friends at Kotaku beat us to the punch, but Sony has demonstrated a piece of software for the PS3 that will aid in the mapping of protein folding. The software is part of the Folding At Home Project and works like many other existing programs, pooling idle computers together to create supercomputer power.
A standard PC working alone would take a day to simulate 1 billionth of a second of protein folding. But scientists believe that 10,000 idle PS3s can be four times faster than IBM's BlueGene/L System, which cranks out 280.6 trillion calculations per second. And if Sony could actually sell the PS3 with as much success as the PS2, imagine what 100 million units could do.
The cause is good and all, but this is a lot of computing power with problem solving potential that we can utilize in even more worthwhile causes. Two words: spider powers.
BBC News [via Kotaku]
LG Phillips E-book: Flexible Means Flexibility August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
LG Phillips just announced their 14.1-inch WXGA flexible E-book at IMID 2006 (International Meeting on Information Display).
Besides 14.1 inches taking the crown as the largest E-paper display yet, it's completely flexible (though, maybe sticking the prototypes in hard cases isn't the best way to highlight this feature). The 300ms response time is still pretty far from displaying video, but any content needing a constant refresh will nullify the main power benefits of e-paper anyway. We're just one step closer to the Holy Grail of electronic displays: crumpling them up throwing them in the trash like basketballs.
LG Announcement [via mobilmag]
2006 Jaguar XJ: Just Like An Old Airliner August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Our twin brother separated at birth and raised by a pack of ravenous gearheads, Jalopnik, posted a review of the 2006 Jaguar XJ Super V8. MSRP £48,100
What they liked: The engine puts out 400hp, which is a lot considering the car is completely aluminum and quite light for a large sedan at 4,001 pounds. Overall, the car performs well and rides comfortably - like a first class airliner.
What they didn't like: The car lacks simple luxuries like bi-xenon headlamps (we don't mind because those things freakin' blind us). And the entire design feels a dated, complete with a nav system from 1999.
Gizmodo thoughts: Bluetooth phone support is a step in the right direction and the front seats have screens in the back of their headrests. But to change a DVD, the player is in the trunk. In a boat like a Jag engineers can't fit a player in the rear console? None of this tech is that expensive anymore - so in a £50,000 car the layout should be perfect.
Favorite excerpt: "One reviewer's sister enjoyed the back seat so much she called it the best car ever. Her brother doesn't quite agree." Anyone else read strange, incestuous innuendo here?
Jalopnik Review 1
Jalopnik Review 2
Hidden Light Bulb Camera Makes It Hard To Spy On Faces August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Fitting a hidden camera in a light bulb is a great idea. Because it attaches to the main electrical system, there's no need for batteries. And, since it's already in the wall, you can wire it up to whatever you want. Since it's a light bulb, it'll always be light enough to get good spy shots on whoever you're peeping. The only downside is nobody ever really looks directly at a light bulb, so you're never going to get anyone straight on. Otherwise it's not too bad.
Available now for £75.
Product Page [SpyVille via Mobile Whack]
Swarovsky Crystal Embedded Pepper Spray August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
You'd think rich ladies would be the target of muggings more than poor ladies, hence, this Swarovsky crystal-embedded pepper spray. But then again, rich ladies don't usually venture into dodgy neighborhoods. But if they did, and they were carrying this, wouldn't it lead to a mugging?
All we know is the most expensive one costs £150.
Product Page [Pepperface via Cubeme]
Airplane Toilet IPod Causes Chaos August 28, 2006
READ MORE Press
A poster on the Word of Warcraft forums claims that he accidentally dropped his iPod into the toilet of an airplane on a flight to Canada, and one of the stewardesses found it. This then triggered a series of events that lead to an emergency landing, the passengers being evacuated and him spending several hours being grilled by the authorities. At the risk of spoiling the ending, it all turned out allright in the end, but he doesn't say if he took the, erm, soiled iPod back. Personally, I'd just write it off to experience and buy a non-flushed one.
Toilet-plunked iPod leads to security freakout. [Boing Boing]
I played WoW, I became a terrorist [World of Warcarft Forums]
Water Level Battery Indicator August 28, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
This screensaver on the NTT DoCoMo N702is cellphone looks and acts just like a glass of water. When you move it around, the motion sensor detects your angle and sloshes the water to the left or right, depending. The actual water level itself is indicative of the amount of battery you have left, so it's probably more fun to keep your phone charged up. Maybe some developer can whip up a J2ME version of this app?
An Interesting Way of Showing Battery Status [Slashphone]
Bose Companion 5 Faux surround-sound speakers: Bose-Haters Strike Again August 28, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
What is it with audiophiles and Bose? David Carnoy at CNet wrote a simple post about the new Companion 5 speakers (describing the £200 speakers as producing a "fairly convincing faux surround-sound experience"), then the Bose-haters come out of the woodwork, accusing him of being paid by Bose.
If you don't like the product, fine: post some cogent arguments on what the problem is. But if you just want to make cheap jabs at people, consider this: in 50 years, your grandchildren may be reading your comments in a college class entitled "Stupidity 101: How the Internet turns people into morons".
Bose's new faux-surround PC speakers [CNet]
Microsoft Vista Preview-Release Candidate 1 In The Wild August 28, 2006
READ MORE Software
Microsoft's Vista PRC1 is out in the wild now. A select circle of testers gave it their thumbs up upon installing, saying it's "3x better so far" compared to the old betas. Driver support seems to be great as well. Do any readers have access to it and want to send in some screenshots to share with the rest of the class?
Microsoft Delivers Vista 'Pre-RC1' To Testers [TechWeb]
100-inch LCD from LG August 28, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment , TV
You know that your TV is getting too big when the cute girl doing the demo would be crushed if it fell over. That's the problem with the 100-inch LCD HDTV that LG are showing at the IMID show in Korea: if that thing was to topple over, it would take the girl and half of the show floor with it. There's no information on when (or if) this monstrosity will ever become an actual product, but I'm already sure that I wouldn't be able to afford it.
LG Displays World's Largest 100-inch TFT-LCD at IMID [BornRich]
LG 100 inch full HD LCD TV [AVING]
VDO Dayton MS5700 Rear-View-Mirror With Navigation August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , PDA
Instead of placing the map screen for your navigation in the center console where you have to take your eyes off the road, VDO Dayton's MS5700 places it right up into the rear view mirror, where you're "supposed" to be looking anyway when you're driving.
The unit has all of Europe's maps stored on a dual-layer DVD, plus has 9 languages, 21 voices, 2D/3D maps, and a 4" display on your RVM.
VDO Dayton MS5700 [TsunamiDuit]
Puma Cuff Pouch, an MP3 Player on Your Wrist August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Puma's come out with a small wrist pouch that's able to store pretty much any type of small gadget, be it your iPod, your non-iPod or cellphone. The Cuff Pouch is available in two colours, puma red and whisper white.
Far be it from Puma to list how much the pouch costs, but then again, I've never seen such an unnavigable, Flash-heavy Web site in all my years.
Puma Home Page [Puma via Chip Chick]
Make a Survival Kit From An Altoids Tin August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
What, you mean eating Altoids, using them as disinfectant, and throwing them at charging bears wasn't good enough? Guess not. As you can see from the picture, there's, uh, a compass. And a, uh, light, thingy. Yeah. Who says bloggers aren't outdoorsy?
The "Pocket kit" includes fire-starting gear, an LED flashlight, a compass, water bag, iodine tablets, fishing gear - and oh so much more, all stuffed into your tiny little Altoids tin.
What the heck, they forgot to leave room for Altoids in there.
Make a Survival Kit out of an Altoids Tin (and Two More Life-Saving DIY Projects) [Field and Stream via Lifehacker]
KEF KHT5005.2 Surround Speakers August 28, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio , Home Entertainment
If you've got the high-end HDTV sorted, it's time to get the audio to match. The KEF KHT5005.2 is a new £1,000 set of hi-tech 5.1 speakers for the home theater that use KEFs new UNI-Q drivers, which they claim can deliver a broad range of frequencies from a single source. This makes the speakers smaller, but still able to deliver the sound quality. The vader-esque black design of the speakers looks suitably stylish, but I'd be worried that my cats would knock them over and send them rolling around the room.
KEF [KEF]
Snore Stopper - A Sandbag In The Tsunami Of Your Loveless Marriage August 28, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
The Snore Stopper is worn like a wristwatch, sitting there peacefully until it hears the dulcet tones of your husband's "oink, oink, wheeeeeeew" in the night. It then zaps his wrist, prompting him to change his position and free up his breathing passage. It costs only £35.00, and makes for a great gag when you "pretend" to snore into it, making him flop around like a freshly caught trout.
Snore Stopper [HGTV via Coolbuzz via SCI FI Blog]
FairUse4WM Removes DRM From WMA Files August 28, 2006
READ MORE Software
There's a new program on the loose that removes the digital rights management (DRM) from Windows Media files. Called FairUse4WM, the Windows program strips the DRM'd from the targeted Windows Media file. There's a number of checks in the program designed to prevent it from being used to abet piracy (kind of like what hymn does), making sure you're only using it to "free" your files for your own personal use. Also of note is that it only cracks DRM one song at a time, further thwarting potential piracy.
Don't tell the Zune guys that their secure media format isn't so secure anymore.
FairUse4WM - a WM/DRM removal program [Doom9's Forums via dapreview.net]
Samsung SC-DC164 10,000 Word Review Spoiler: it's teh suck August 28, 2006
READ MORE Digital cameras
Here's a revie